


To Live is To Die (Book One)

by RemedyQuinn



Category: The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-10-25 14:44:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RemedyQuinn/pseuds/RemedyQuinn
Summary: Lyra O'Connell is the sister of Rick O'Connell but is part a bloodline that has been forgotten for over 3,000 years. She is taken at a very young age and is later set on a path that leads to a choice of life or death. (Notes at the top and bottom)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Small Preference: Lyra was born in 1895, Rick was born in 1890. To add, 
> 
> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

**To Live is to Die: Prologue**

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

~1905, Cairo~

 

          "Rick?" I ask as my older brother tucks me in and curls up next to me in bed, I snuggle against him. 

 

          "What is it now, Lyra?" he sighs, annoyed. I gulp, knowing that at any second, he could snap at me.

 

          "Why are you going to join the military?" I ask, "Isn't it dangerous?" I add, he rolls his eyes.

 

          "Lyra, listen to me. And I'm not going to repeat this again, I don't want to stay in this stupid orphanage. I want to get money from them and when I come back, we'll be fine. Hell, we can even go back home." He says, I frown. 

 

           My bottom lip quivers, "You're... you're leaving me?" I whimper softly, now it's his turn to frown.

 

           "Only for a while ok?" he assures me, I nod, hopeful. "Until then, I'm staying here to protect you. I hear bandits take little girls like you." he says with sincere worry. I gulp, he then shows the tattoo on his wrist, the same as the one I also got. "Whenever we're far away, this will always bring us back to each other." he says, I nod. "Now, go to sleep." he demands, I nod and do what he says.

                                                                                                                       ~~~

 

           I feel myself being thrown into a sack, I immediately panic,  _ **'Keep quiet or they'll kill you.'**  _A harsh woman's voice echoes in my head, I quickly snap my mouth shut.  _ **'Now if you want to live through all this, I suggest you take whatever they throw at you. Never show your tears.'**  _The woman's voice snaps at me, I blink in confusion.  ** _'Don't worry, your powers will develop soon.'_ ** She continues.

 

           "Powers?" I mouth to myself, but I believe her the best I can. I may be a young girl, but I know when someone is lying to me. All movement stops and I freeze, two men start speaking in another language, which I've known to be Arabic. I listen closely to what they're saying,

 

 **'Are you sure it's her, sir? Did you find the right girl?'** my eyes widen, _'I... Can I understand them?'_  I think to myself.

 

           The woman's voice chuckles,  _ **'You may understand them now, but you'll be able to speak their language soon. Along with a few others I know of that may help in the long run. Now hush!'**_ I am taken out of the sack and blindfolded, the mysterious people guide me somewhere and then sit me down on what feels like carpet, tying my hands behind a beam or some type of pole and then... leaving. I hear two men talk further away but I can't hear them clear enough, then someone unties the ropes on my wrists and removes the blindfold. I squint and blink a few times, adjusting my sight to my surroundings. I look to my left and watch a young man hand me a plate of food, I tilt my head and take it.

           

           "Forgive me, little one. My men had to take precautions." the man says, I nod and just eat. He kneels in front of me, "What's your name?" he asks, I tilt my head.

 

            "Lyra... what's your name?" I ask, he smiles softly.

 

            "Just call me Hafez. And don't worry, everything will be alright. Unfortunately, we can't bring you back to the orphanage we took you from." He says, I frown.

 

            "But... but why?" I ask, he frowns.

 

            "Because... you're dangerous, little one. You may not be now, but you will be later. I cannot control what happens to you in the later years, so I apologize in advance." he says, then leaves me with my food and my thoughts. I look around, it seemed to look like a tent.

 

            _**'He was lying to you, by the way. He was saying all of that to make you feel comfortable, just accept the hospitality they give you now. It will change.'**_ The woman says, I nod.

 

             _'Will you tell me your name?'_ I think, she sighs.

 

             _ **'Keep me a secret, Lyra. But my name... is Morgana.'**_ Morgana answers, I nod and continue eating.

 

 

~1911~

 

           As Morgana predicted, the older I got, the stronger I got. And as I got older, she began telling me more and more about herself. How she was a queen, how she was married to an evil man, and how she was a bodyguard to the Princess Nefertari. But also as I got strong in power, the colder the men grew towards me, I was beaten daily, raped as well. It was always one man, the man who called himself Lock-Nah. But it was a night, a night like any other. The night where my life would change forever.

 

           _ **'Rick isn't your full brother, you know. He's your half-brother.'**_ Morgana says, I snort.

 

           _'Yeah, I kind of figured. Considering that he doesn't have powers either.'_ I think, rolling my eyes. 

 

          Morgana sighs,  _ **'Depressed again? Do you want to switch places again for tonight?'**_ She asks.

 

           _'Doesn't matter, it's not like it'll make me feel any better.'_ I think, shaking my head.

 

           _ **'Shh! Listen!'**_ Morgana hisses, and I do as she tells me, hearing a conversation from a mile away.

 

          **'Well, well, well, if it isn't Ardeth Bay, chieftain of the 12th tribe of the Medjai...'** Lock Nah sneers, I hear a deep accented voice growl.

 

          **'Lock Nah, you traitor. You will pay.'** The mysterious man growls, I can feel Lock Nah's smirk and I sneer in disgust. 

 

           **'Hmm... we shall see, tie him with the whore.'** Lock Nah commands, I hear men walk over to 'my tent'.  _'Gee thanks, Lock Nah.'_ I think, rolling my eyes. I cover my face with my matted hair the best I can, peeking through the cracks of my hair to see the men tie a man in dark clothing and dark long hair to the beam next to me. Then one of the men grabs me by my hair, pulling roughly to make me face him.

 

            **'Lock Nah will want you again tonight.'** The man sneers, letting go and leaving the tent with the other men.

 

           I sigh,  _ **'Lyra, you have to get him out of here. He can help you.'**_ Morgana says frantically, I ignore her,  _ **'Lyra?'**_

 

            _'At what cost, Morgana? Death? To both of us?'_ I think, tears welling up in my eyes.

 

           "Hey... miss?" The man next to me whispers, I turn to look at him and my heart stops.  _'So... beautiful..'_ I think, admiring his brown eyes. His dark hair covered them, and his face as if sculpted by God himself. "Do you speak English?" he asks, I nod. 

 

           "Please... I don't want to get tortured worse than I'm already scorned for..." I rasp, he frowns.

 

           "What do you mean?" The man asks, I look at him, showing my face and my glowing purple and green eyes. 

 

           "I... I don't even remember the last time I saw the stars... the sun..." I look away, his eyes widen.

 

           "Don't worry, I'll get us out of here." He assures me, I sigh as a response. I close my eyes, resting my head on the beam,  _'Go ahead, Morgana... take the lead.'_ I think, letting darkness flood my mind and I sink deep into my mind.

 

*Morgana's Point of View*

 

         I sigh, stretching Lyra's neck, the pops releasing the tension. I hiss, "Ardeth... that is your name." I say looking at the man. He looks at me with confusion, then his eyes widen. "You may call this possession, Medjai. I call this helping." I snap, he frowns.

 

         "Morgana... I knew it would be you." He hisses, I smirk. I then singe the ropes on my wrists, then kneel next to Ardeth's post and singe his. He rubs his wrists, "Thank you." 

 

         "Now, care to explain what happened?" I ask, he looks at me. 

 

         "I was sent to find you, a surprise that you're here." He says, I sigh and stand up, peeking through the tent.

 

         "Not for long, she needs to be rebuilt. And I can't do that, a broken can't be healed by a broken." I say, he raises an eyebrow. 

 

         "I thought this was your body to use." I shake my head, looking at him.

 

         "Lyra. She's part of my bloodline, but not my body. She is too young now, and I need you to help her." I say, he stands and nods. "I'm only getting her out, she's too feeble." I add, I check both sides of the tent. "Ok, it's clear. We have to make to that tent," we duck and dodge behind obstacles and make it to the tent we needed to get to, nothing but weapons and excess clothing. I nod and with a snap of my fingers, I'm clean with a white, long sleeved frilly cuffed shirt, a black bodice, tight leggings, and black sand boots. I find a knight's sword and a holster for it, I smirk and tie it, securing it around my waist. I see a black cloak and put it on, gently placing the hood on my head. I look at Ardeth, he nods to me, wrapping a head scarf on his head and covering his face. I look out to find the stables, which is a little farther away, we hurry over there. But then shouts sound around us, and get louder. We make it in the stables, I calm the horses with thought.  _'We are not your enemies, calm.'_ They snigger in response and I nod. "Pick one and let's go." We both mount random horses and ride out of the encampment. 

 

        "We won't make it to my village in one night, we have to make camp somewhere." Ardeth warns, I nod in response. 

 

        "There's an oasis not too far off, if we keep this pace, we'll make it." I say,  

 

                                                                                                                 ~~~

 

        Once we arrive, we set up makeshift beds with the materials we have and drink water from the oasis. I sigh and stretch, taking off my cloak and rolling it up into a pillow. Then remove the sword from my waist and set it close to me, then lay down. "I have to leave." I say finally, Ardeth looks at me.

 

        "You're leaving her alone? Without guidance?" He asks, I prop a leg up and cross the other under it, then rest my left arm under my head.

 

        "I care too much for her safety, as much as her sanity. She may have memories of my past after I leave, but as far as I'm concerned, it won't be for a while. She needs to be trained in combat, something I can't give her. But her powers are her own, she may have a different way of using them compared to my old ways I've used and my ancestors before me. And I've only told her what she needs to know, the creature you're guarding, my ties to him in only certain detail, but she won't know why she is just as cursed as I. Why he wants vengeance over me." I explain, I turn to look at him as he frowns.

 

        "So she doesn't know all of your past, how you got married to another man while you were still bound to the creature? How you condemned your own husband?" He asks, I nod.

 

        "It was a risky move to pull, marrying a Medjai while I was still betrothed to Imhotep. But I needed heirs, or else Lyra wouldn't be here." I answer, he nods. "I must go, she's been through enough trouble with me around. And much more if I stay inside this body any longer. But before I leave, I ask of you to keep her safe." I ask, he nods. I rest my right hand on my stomach and close my eyes, breathing out my last breath and feeling as if I'm being lifted out of the body I've been settling in over 17 years. My last thought,  _'You're finally free, Lyra. Now find your brother and make some history.'_

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

~Early Morning~

 

         I wake and nearly jump, then relax. Remembering the calming words Morgana left me with, I stand and kneel by the pool of clear water. Cupping my hands, I fill them with water and drink. The dryness in my throat and mouth melts away, I cup my hands once more and refill them. Splashing the water on my face and sigh,  _'So much better.'_ I think. Feeling relaxed, I sit cross-legged by the pool and look around. I smile softly and rest my hand on the sand, immediately, a sprout grows out of the sand, quickly growing bigger.  _'Apples... I want green apples.'_ I think, and a green apple tree quickly grows to full capacity. Almost on time, a green apple fall into my other hand. I shine it on my bodice and take a bite, feeling relief as the sweetness tingles my taste buds. The man lying closest to the tree on his side shifts, turning to his other side. I look at the horses. I think of carrots and almost immediately, a small patch of carrots grow. I smile and stand, pulling some out of the ground and cleaning them off in the water. I then walk over to the horses and stroke the first ones mane and feed him the carrot as he nibbled on it, "Good boy." I smile, looking at the sky on the horizon,  _'Nearly dawn.'_ I think, snapping my fingers as I feed the second horse a carrot. The tree and the patch of carrots are gone, leaving a small pile of each behind. I sigh and sit back down on by the pool, right on time, the man wakes. "Morning." I grin as I finish my apple, he sits up and turns to me, giving me a polite nod. "Apple?" I ask, nodding to the small pile left.

 

        He takes one, cleans it, and eats it. I grin and look at the rising sun, "Thank you, Lyra." he says, I look at him.

 

        "She told you my name." I realize, he nods, I take another bite out in the apple. "First time I've seen a sunrise, it's beautiful. Here I was thinking that it was too much for the eyes." I say, he chuckles.

 

        "They are quite beautiful, aren't they?" He asks, I nod. "Did you rest well?" he adds, then I hear the crunch of the apple.

 

        "Better than I have in years. And I feel that I might be getting better ones for a long time." I smile at the thought, "She didn't tell me your name." I add.

 

        "Ardeth, Ardeth Bay." Ardeth answers, I take another bite of my apple. 

 

        "Lyra, Lyra O'Connell." I introduce my full name, then stand and brush myself off. I bury my apple core in the sand and lead the horses to the pool to drink before our journey, we pack our stuff as they drink. I take another drink from the pool and we set off into the desert before the heat begins to settle, with the cloak hood over my head, I'm not blinded by the sun.  _'Never imagined the sand to look so smooth.'_ I think.

 

         **'May God give me patience.'** I hear Ardeth say in Arabic, I raise an eyebrow and look at him.

 

         **'Patience for what?'** I ask in Arabic, his eyes widen and he looks at me.

 

         **'You... You understand me?'** he asks, surprise sketch in his eyes.

 

         **'A parting gift from Morgana. I can understand and speak any language.'** I answer, then we make our way up a slope.

 

         **'We're close to my village, you might want to remove your hood.'** He warns, I nod and remove it. We ride into a village with tents, similar to the one that we were in before this. I gulp but keep my composure.  **'Don't worry, my men won't harm you.'** he assures me, as if noticing my uneasiness. We avert eyes, drawing attention. But before people start talking, we make it to the stables and dismount our horses. After settling the horses in the stables, Ardeth guides me to an empty tent.  **'Stay here, I have some business to attend to.'** he says, I nod. He leaves and I stand, looking down at the sword I'm carrying. Curious, I pull the sword out of it's sheath. I watch as it glistens in the peeking sunlight, I wave it around in a circular motion with my right hand. My eyes widen,  _'I didn't know I could do that.'_ I think.

 

         _ **'That's because I gave you the knowledge to wield a sword.'**_ I hear Morgana say, I frown.  _ **'Turn around, Lyra.'**_ She commands, I turn and there she was, standing a foot away from, wearing the same clothes but the bodice was burgundy, as was the cloak. What was scarier, was that she looked just like me, but older. _**'Feels good to be out again. But I am here to give you a piece of advice.'**_ I nod for her to continue,  _ **'Don't go into everything blind, do you understand? If they train you with more skill, don't expect one thing. If they give you orders, you follow them.'**_ I nod, she nods and turns to walk away, disappearing as she does. 

 

        "Take it that she doesn't like good-byes." I sigh, lightly shoving the sword back into the sheath and sitting on the ground. I look up as Ardeth walks back into the tent. By the way Ardeth is pacing, he is distressed. "What is it?" I ask.

 

        "The Elders have decided that you should be oathed as part of the Medjai." He answers, I stand and tilt my head in confusion. 

 

        "I thought I already was." I say, walking up to him and rolling up my sleeve to expose my right top of my wrist, showing a mark. His eyes widen and he looks at me, gently, he grabs my wrist and studies it.

 

        "I am a stranger travelling from the East, seeking that which is lost." He says, then looks up at me.

 

        "I am a stranger travelling from the West, It is I whom you seek." I answer, as if being planted in my brain from long ago.

 

        "Morgana, in the paintings she shared this same mark on the same wrist. Despite that she was the queen of the Medjai, she still followed the orders of the elders." He explains to me, I nod. "Then this means, you've taken the oath already."

 

        "I was... I was 8 when I got this. I was repeated those same words over and over. I guess it stuck. But since I already am, I can be trained as well." I say, he lets go of my wrist.

 

        "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?" He asks, I nod. He runs his fingers through his long hair, "You can't slack, you have to be aware of everything around you. Always alert." 

 

        "I am aware, Ardeth." I say, he looks at me. "Listen, I wouldn't have agreed to this if I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Now are we doing this or not?" I ask, he grins.

 

        "Ok, just be aware." He says, shaking my hand. Little did I know, that I was opening a can of worms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	2. Clumsy Day and Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the years leading up to the beginning of their adventure, Lyra is sent to help the curator in Egypt. Making new friends in the process of it. But in the coming months turns to years, she realizes how much Ardeth has grown to care for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 2: Clumsy Day and Age

 

~1 year later~

 

        I lay on my makeshift bed, thinking about the happiest memories I can remember, which were mostly with my brother Rick. Ardeth's voice snaps me out of my train of thought, "Are you awake, Lyra?" He asks, I sit up and stretch.

 

       "I am now." I yawn, "My back still hurts from last week." I grunt, thinking about the odd turn of events that happened.

 

_~A Week Earlier~_

 

_I block another sword blow from Ardeth, practicing my combat. I rub my shoulder blade on my right and wince, "You alright?" He asks, I shake my head. He frowns as I rest my sword back into its sheath, he does the same. "We should be heading back." he says, I nod. Then I look down, noticing that a circle of black-tipped white feathers fell around me._

 

 _I look behind me and my eyes widen, "Umm... Ardeth?" I call, he turns around and his eyes widen. Black tipped white wings unfurled out of my back. I turn to look at Ardeth, he stares at my wings. A soft wind rustles my feathers and I shudder, closing my eyes,_ _'Hidden.' I think, wincing in pain as my wings are tucked away and disappear over my clothes. "I think we should head back." I say awkwardly, Ardeth nods and we mount our horses, riding back in silence._

 

~Now~

 

      "The elders have decided that it would be best if you stayed in the city." Ardeth says, making me look at him. I put on my boots and stand, tying my sword to my waist. "You're not going to ask why?" he asks.

 

      "Nope. Now let's go." I say as I put on my cloak, He grins and gets ready as well.

 

      "It takes 4 days to get to the city." He warns, I shrug.

 

      "If we're quick enough, we'll make it in 3." I say as we walk to the stables and mounts our horses, in a quick pace, we make it in 3 days instead of 4.

 

**~Cairo, Egypt~**

 

 Once we arrive in the city, we stop and dismount in front of a Museum and Antiquities building and walk through the big double doors. After jogging up two flights of stairs, we walk into an office. There sat an old, white bearded man dressed in robes and a red fez placed on his head. He looks up to see us standing in the doorway, he stands and walks over to us. Ardeth and the man shake hands, then looks at me, "Dr. Bey." He introduces himself, I nod and shake his hand.

 

"Lyra, Lyra O'Connell. I assume you're the curator?" I ask.

 

      "Yes, I am. I understand that you're part of Morgana's bloodline." He observes me, I nod, looking at Ardeth nervously. "Well, I believe you should meet your new roommate. She's downstairs in the library." He adds, I nod. I leave the room and head downstairs into the library to meet this mysterious woman. I hear someone muttering and I follow the sound, then a shout in surprise. I hurry to the 'B' and 'C' shelf to see a woman in a button up shirt, glasses, a skirt, and in heels, standing in the middle of the shelves on a ladder. My eyes widen,  _'What in the-'_

 

"Help." the woman whimpers, I grab the ladder in a tight grip, "Thank you." She says in a strange accent.

 

      "Oh... you're British?" I ask, the woman nods. "Ok, I need you to climb down the ladder. Can you do that?" I ask, she nods frantically and slowly steps down the ladder and I set it against the 'B' shelf. "There you go." I sigh with relief.

 

      "Thank you very much." She praises, I nod. "Evelyn Carnahan." She holds out her hand for me to shake.

 

      "Lyra, Lyra O'Connell. I believe I'm your new roommate." I shake her hand, she smiles.

 

      "Brilliant! I've been looking for a flatmate for ages, rather you than my brother." She says, I chuckle. 

 

**~Meanwhile...~**

 

*Ardeth's Point of View*

 

       **'She seems very well mannered,** **Ardeth.'** Dr. Bey says, I nod.

 

       **'Her training has taught her well, besides training herself.'** I say, praising her.

 

      He chuckles,  **'Ardeth, is that a tone of admiration I hear? How long have you known her?'** he asks, I frown.

 

       **'Long enough to know that she is fragile, and how sweet she really is.'** I answer, he chuckles once more.

 

       **'It won't be long before you grow fond of her.'** He says, I look away.  **'You have?'** I don't answer,  _'The embarrassment is burning.'_ I think,  **'Well... my advice? Take your time.'** he advises, I nod.

 

       **'I best be saying my good-byes, I'll visit when I can.'** I say, he nods. I walk out of the office and downstairs towards the library, to my surprise, Lyra is getting along well with her new roommate. I walk over to them,  **'Lyra, may I speak with you in private?'** I ask, she nods and follow me outside the museum doors.

 

      "You're leaving. I know." She says before I can say anything, I frown.

 

      "Did you hear everything?" I ask, weary of what she heard of our conversation. 

 

      She smiles, "Just the last part, why?" she asks, I grin.

 

      "No reason, I just advise that you don't eavesdrop on everyone's private conversations." I warn, she nods. "I'll visit when I can." I say, then I turn and walk out of the open double doors and mounting my horse,  _'Maybe someday.'_ I think, then ride away.

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

      As he rides away, I think about the conversation Ardeth and Dr. Bey had,  _'Fond... he likes me.'_ I smile at the thought, walking back into the building and into the library. "Good timing, I was just about to leave." Evelyn says, I smirk and nod.

 

     "Great, I'll walk with you." I say, we head out of the library and out of the double doors. Taking my horses reigns, I guide him to walk with us through the heart of the city. We stop in front of a large three story building after walking through the fort. I settle my horse in the stables and follow Evelyn into the building and up the stairs to her apartment. 

 

     "Welcome to your new home." She says cheerfully, I smile. "Your room is over there." She points to the room across the double doors in the hallway, "I got you some furniture so you're not in a baron room." I smile.

 

     "Thank you, Evelyn." Then a man dressed in explorer clothes and sand boots barges into the living room, I raise an eyebrow.

 

     "Hey Evy!" He greets loudly in his own British accent, I frown. 

 

     "Jonathan! Learn to knock, please? You could've scared our new flatmate!" Evelyn huffs, I frown,  _'Our?'_ I think, but ignore it. "Jonathan, this is Lyra. Lyra, this is my brother, Jonathan." Evelyn introduces me to him, we shake hands. "Would you like to come to lunch with us, Lyra?" Evelyn asks, I shrug.

 

     "Sure, why not?" I answer, she smiles and we all leave to help me explore town.  _'I think I'm going to enjoy being here.'_ I think, smiling to myself. 

 

**~Cairo 3 years later~**

 

      3 years later, Evelyn and I have grown as close as sisters. 3 years, Evelyn and her brother Jonathan figured out that I had powers, and they still considered me as a sister. And 3 years, Ardeth has been visiting as much as he can. My future sight had finally developed, I had told him in the last letter I sent him. But I also said that I had to tell him in person the consequences of changing the future, learning from one of Morgana's many check-ins. And now I was trying to look for Evelyn,  _'Where could she be?'_ I think as I check the rows of the library, "Sacred stones... Sculpture and aesthetics... Socrates, Seth Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 and... Tuth- Tuthmosis? What are doing here?" I follow the sound of her voice towards the 'S' and 'T' shelves. 

 

     "There you are, I was looking everywhere for you." I sigh with relief, there she was, on the ladder, restocking the books in alphabetical order. "I knocked on your door this morning and you weren't home." 

 

     "My apologies, Lyra. I know you like coming with me to work." She hums, I roll my eyes. "I'm going to put you where you belong."

 

     "Coming with you to work and making sure you don't break anything are two different things." I say, a flash of the recent future flashes in front of me as Evelyn reaches across the shelves to put a book back, I wince. "Umm... Evelyn? Don't you think you should get off the ladder and move it before putting the book there?" I ask, her eyes narrow in concentration.

 

     "Oh Lyra, don't be silly. I've done this before and it has worked out just fine!" she drops the book, the ladder standing upright in between the bookshelves. I roll my eyes and hold the ladder, "Spoke too soon." she chuckles nervously. 

 

     "What did I tell you, Evelyn?" I grunt, she sighs. "Now, for the sake of me not falling over, can you please step down?" I ask, and too little too late, I trip and fall over my cloak, letting go of the ladder. Evelyn shouts and she falls hard on the 'S' shelf, making it fall over and creating a domino effect with the other shelves. I grab Evelyn before the gets crushed, "Uh-oh..." I worry after all the shelves topple over.

 

     Evelyn removes her glasses and looks around, "Oops." She says softly, I frown.

 

     "Oops? OOPS?! Evelyn that's the second time this month!" I snap, she sighs.

 

     "But you cleaned up the mess with a snap of your fingers. Can you please-" I cut her off with a look.

 

     "No, you deserve the lecture this time. I told you to wait for me and what do you do?" I snap, then we hear steps and turn around.

 

     "What? How, How?", Dr. Bey stands on one of the many toppled bookshelves, stammering in shock and horror. Then looks up at us, I smile nervously and wave awkwardly, "Oh, look at this!" he jumps down and storms towards us, "Son's of the pharaohs! Give me frogs! Flies! Locusts! Anything but you!", he stands in front of us, red in the face with anger, "Compared to you two, the other plagues were a joy!" he says almost hysterically. 

 

     "We're so very sorry, it was an accident." Evelyn apologizes, I give her a death glare.

 

     "My girls, when Ramses destroyed Syria, that was an accident. You two, are catastrophes! Look at my library! Why do I put up with you two?" He snaps, I open my mouth to say something but close it, since Evelyn is trying so hard to talk her way out of this.

 

     "Well... you put up with me because... I can read and write Ancient Egyptian, and I can decipher hieroglyphics and hieratic. Well I'm the only person within a thousand miles that knows how properly code and catalog this library, that's why." Evelyn explains, her voice slowly rising.

 

     "I put up with you because your father and mother were our finest patrons, that why." Dr. Bey corrects her, Evelyn hangs her head and I immediately feel bad for snapping at her. "Allah rest their souls." He says, being polite. "Now, I don't care how you do it. I don't care how long it takes, straighten up this meshiver!" he demands, then nods over to me to follow him. I nod and wait for him to walk out of the room, then with a snap of my fingers, everything is back in order.

 

     "Don't say I don't do anything for you, Evelyn." I smirk, she smiles. "Now if you'll excuse me." I say, walking out of the library to where Dr. Bey is standing.  **'You wanted to see me?'** I ask.

 

     He nods,  **'Ardeth is upstairs, he wishes to speak with you.'** I smile and hurry up the two flights of stairs, hearing him chuckle. I hurry up the two flights of stairs to the large window, sun shining through it. I lose my train of thought and look down to see people walking everywhere, using carriages to get around, smirking at the sudden presence, I remove my sword from the sheath and turn, the deafening sound of swords clash, echoing in the hallway.

 

     "Once again, I can't surprise you." He says, a grin forming on his face. I immediately realize that he doesn't have a head wrap on, showing off his long hair. I put my sword away, he does the same. "I received your letter, I had to see you." I frown and nod, leaning against the window and start at the beginning to when the visions started.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	3. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After telling Ardeth the coming events, she adds that from Morgana's last visit that there is no way to change the future. The events would happen either way no matter what, and on the same day, not only are feelings shared, the chain of events immediately begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 3: Trust Me

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

      "Ardeth, let me say that the events that I've told you can't be changed." I say as I lean against the window sill with my arms and legs crossed, he looks up with concern.

 

      "What do you mean they can't be changed, Lyra?" He asks, I sigh.

 

      "Remember when I said the Morgana came to check on me, she also mentioned something else." I say, telling him about the last two weeks.

 

**~Two Weeks Earlier~**

 

_After freshening up in the bathroom, I set my sword and cloak on the table. 'First time wearing a nightgown.'_ _I think, shivering at the uncomfortable fabric on me. I huff and just grab a clean white frilly shirt and black tight pants, removing the nightgown and putting those on. **'I see you like the style I chose.'**_ _I hear Morgana, I turn around, seeing her still wearing the burgundy cloak and bodice, armed with her sword._

 

_"It's much more comfortable." I say, she chuckles and sits in one of the dining chairs at the table._

 

_"I agree, young child." She agrees, I sit in the chair across from her. "You know the drill, I've come to check on you." she says, I nod._

 

 _"And by the look in your eyes, you've... grown feelings for the Medjai warrior." She says bluntly, I feel heat rush my cheeks. "Ah... well... take your time. Your brain is still recovering from the_   _trauma." she advises, I nod._

 

_"He feels the same, Morgana." I say, she smiles._

 

_"Take your time, dear." She says, brushing my cheek. I nod, "And... the visions, they're fully developed. More than flashes, in dream form as well?" she questions, I nod. "Well, you should know. You can't change them, no matter what you do." she warns, my eyes widen. "And you're concerned that you don't have immortality, you can't heal quickly."_

 

_"I don't understand why, I mean... I should be." I say, genuinely confused._

 

_"You haven't earned the ability to heal others, or self heal. The way of earning self heal and immortality is taking the death of someone who was supposed to die, you die for a few minutes. But all the cuts you've gained over the years and the recent will heal, even healing others." She explains, "Whoever you bind yourself to, they become immortal as well. But the only way you can die is decapitation. I chose to die." she adds._

 

_"Why?" I ask, she chuckles._

 

_"I would rather die than watch everyone I love die in front of me, and so at 100, my husband and I were both executed by my orders. The worst part, you slowly age." she explains, I look down at my folded hands. "That's what your ancestors have done before me." She stands, walking towards the door. "Oh, I'd advise you to tell Ardeth about this conversation, not all of it, enough to where you tell him everything in person." And with that, a white light whisks her away._

 

**~Now~**

 

    I watch as Ardeth processes what I told him, then looks up at me. "So you did listen to our conversation." he realizes, I chuckle nervously.

 

    "Actually no. As far as the conversation went, the word 'fond' was the only word I caught onto. Then I realized that every time you came to check on me or see me, I get so excited. At first... I thought I was because of how you... make me feel like I'm human." I explain, "But then that feeling grew and when Morgana explained to me what I was feeling I... smiled." I chuckle, "Because all this time, I thought feeling that way towards someone, was bad."

 

    "Feeling what?" he asks, I smile.

 

    "Love." I answer, his eyes widen. 

 

    "I... I don't know what to say, Lyra." He breathes, as if holding his breath.

 

    "I wouldn't either if someone just bluntly said that they love you." I sigh, going to walk out of the hallway, but then Ardeth grabs my arm and pulls me into him.

 

    "Please, let me speak." he says, I nearly melt right there in his arm, taking in his desert scent and nearly drooling in the process.  _'Drooling? Wow, Lyra.'_ I scold myself.  **'I love you. I have loved you ever since I first saw you. Despite that it wasn't your best. But I knew, you had beauty within. You're even more beautiful now than then. So strong, fearless. God, if only you weren't so scarred, I would kiss you. But I know you're not ready.'** he whispers in Arabic, my eyes widen.

 

     **'Who said I wasn't ready, Ardeth?'** I ask, looking up at him, mesmerized by his brown eyes. He looks down at me,  **'I give you permission.'** I say, and almost without a second thought, our lips touch. Once my eyes close, I feel lifted on a cloud, tasting the desert on his lips, the desert that I've lived in for so many years. I wrap my arms around his neck as he gently rests his hands on my hips, our lips then move against each others. I gasp as he licks my bottom lip, gently, his tongue brushes mine. A spike of adrenaline rushes through me,  _'My God... I've never been kissed like this.'_ I think, our tongues dance around each other's mouths, gently clashing teeth. We both pull away for air, letting me rest my hands on his chest. "That was..." I trail off, trying to find the word to describe my first real kiss.

 

    "Amazing..." He finishes my sentence, I look up at him. He chuckles, "I hope it was to your satisfaction." he says, I smile at that.

 

    "Most definitely." I chuckle, he leans down and brushes my lips with his own. "And... I love you too." I add, he smiles. We pull away, leaving only our hands intertwined. "I umm... I should be heading back downstairs. I'm sure Evelyn is looking for me right now." I say, he nods, giving me another quick kiss. We let go and I begin to walk down the stairs.

 

    "Will I see you again?" He asks, I stop and look back at him.

 

    Then I smile, "Absolutely." And walk down the stairs, finding Evelyn and Jonathan waiting for me downstairs.

 

    "I had a feeling you were upstairs, what do you do up there?" Evelyn asks, I roll my eyes. 

 

    "Sit on the windowsill and watch the people walk by." I lie, she chuckles. "So are we going to lunch or what?" I ask, they both chuckle as we walk out of the museum and into town.

 

    "Well, Jonathan has good news." Evelyn says, nearly bouncing up and down with excitement. 

 

    "Oh? Please do tell." I smirk, Jonathan scratches the back of his neck. 

 

    "Well, I went on a dig down in Thebes and I found this." He digs his hand into his inside jacket pocket and hands me a black puzzle box, on instinct, I twist it and it open, immediately, I drop it as if it burned me, getting flashes of an Ancient past. 

 

    "Lyra, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." She worries at the deadpan expression on my face, Jonathan picks up the key. "Lyra?" She asks again.

 

    "You know... suddenly, I'm not very hungry." I breathe, she frowns.

 

    "Are you ill?" She asks, I nod.

 

    "I'll head back to the fort, you guys tell me the rest of the story ok?" I ask, Evelyn nods and I turn and walk back to the Museum. I run up the two flights of stairs and to the window, where I see Evelyn and Jonathan walking. I walk to the wall across and lean my back against it, sliding down so that I'm sitting. My breathing becomes heavy, I try to calm myself by resting my face in my hands. 

 

    "Lyra? What are you doing back here?" I hear Dr. Bey ask, I look up with tear brimmed eyes. There stood Ardeth,  _'Oh great.'_ I think, Ardeth kneels in front of me.

 

    "Did you see it?" He asks, I nod. Returning to covering my face in my hands, "Lyra, don't panic, please." Ardeth pleads, I stand almost immediately.

 

    "How could I not?" I ask, looking out the window, I turn, "How could I not panic when it's my own friends, starting these events?" I ask, I feel a tear streak down my cheek, Ardeth walks over and wipes it away. 

 

    "Lyra, we will figure this out. Trust me, please." He pleads, I take a deep breath and nod.

 

    "You have to keep an eye on them, don't lose track of them." Dr. Bey commands, I look at him and my eyes flash purple.

 

    "Yes sir." I say, then I look to the stairs towards the roof. Then take off towards the stairs and make it to the roof, I look back, "This is something I have to do." Ardeth frowns, I run and jump off.

 

    "LYRA!" He shouts, I spread my wings and take flight high to the skies. I land at the top of the building where Evelyn and I share, heading down the stairs and into my room. I remove my cloak and my sword, sitting in one of my chairs. Right on time, A knock wraps at my door.

 

    "Come in!" I call and Evelyn walks in, quietly sitting in one of my chairs. "Let me guess, he lied didn't he?" I ask, she looks up at her hands.

 

    "We have to go to the prison tomorrow." Evelyn says, my eyes widen.

 

    "He pickpocketed someone?" I ask, She shrugs.

 

    "I don't know, if you're well enough. You could come with us." She suggests, I smirk.

 

    "I guess I don't have a choice." I say, she smiles and stands. 

 

    "I'll wake you tomorrow, as promised." She says, quickly heading out the door, I get out of my bodice and boots, collapsing on the bed.  _'What have I gotten myself into?'_ I think, closing my eyes and dreaming of golden walls and brown eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	4. The Beginning of it All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events leading up to Giza Port

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 4: The Beginning of it all

 

**~The Next Day~**

 

    "Come! Come! Step over the threshold! Welcome to Cairo Prison my humble home!" The prison warden proudly shouts as he guides us to the cell we needed to go to.

 

    "You told me that you got it on a dig down in Thebes." Evelyn hisses, I roll my eyes,  _'Way to go, Jonathan.'_ I think.

 

    "Yeah, well, I was mistaken." Jonathan says openly, as if he didn't care if what he did was wrong. I smirk, amused at how they bicker at each other.

 

    "You lied to me." Evelyn snaps.

 

    "I lie to everybody, what makes you so special?" Jonathan asks, I give him a death glare and he quickly looks away from me.

 

    "I am your sister!" Evelyn sasses.

 

    "That just makes you more gullible." He retorts, I hold the urge to smack him. 

 

    "Jonathan you stole it from a drunk at the local casbah!" Evelyn counters, I wince.

 

    "Picked his pocket, actually, so I don't think it's a very good..." Jonathan tries to turn around, but Evelyn pulls him back, they bicker as I stand there staring at them with my arms crossed.

 

    "Now what exactly is this man in prison for?" Evelyn asks the warden.

 

    "Well this I did not know. But when I heard you were coming, I asked him that myself." He then shouts a command.

 

    "And what did he say?" I ask.

 

    "He said, he was just looking for a good time." The guards then barge in with a dirty man with long brown hair, the same color as mine. The guards hit him with a baton, knocking him to his knees.

 

    "Th- This is the man that you stole it from?" Evelyn murmurs, Jonathan flashes a worried look. I kneel down in front of the cage, noticing a familiar tattoo on his right wrist. I stand and take a step back in confusion,  _'No, no, NO! No that can't be him!'_ I scream at myself, but keep a stone face as usual.

 

    "Yes exactly, so why don't we go sniff out a spot of tiffin..." Jonathan trails off.

 

    "Who are you? And who are the broads?" The man asks in an annoyed tone, I frown.

 

    "I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word, but this my sister Evy and my friend Lyra O'Connell." Jonathan blurts, immediately, the man's eyes widen. 

 

    "How do you do?" Evelyn introduces herself, the man then looks Evelyn up and down.

 

    "Oh well, guess she's not a total loss." he says, I give him a death glare. 

 

    "I beg your pardon-" Evelyn starts, I look at her. The warden shouts something then leaves us with the man, "Umm... we have found... Hello excuse me." The man looks back at us, "We have found your... your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." Evelyn explains.

 

    "No." The man lets go of bars and holds them again.

 

    "No?" Evelyn repeats.

 

    "No, you came to ask me about Hamunaptra." The man says openly, I shiver at the name.

 

    "How did you know that the box pertained to Hamunaptra?" Evelyn asks.

 

    "Because that's where I was when I found it, I was there." The man answers, Jonathan gives him a look and kneels down.

 

    "Well how do we know that's not a load of pig's swallow?" Jonathan asks.

 

    "You know what? Do I know you?" The man asks, I smirk.

 

    "No, no, I just got one of those faces..." The man's eyes widen and he punches Jonathan in the face, I snicker.  _'Looks like I didn't have to hit him after all.'_ I think. 

 

    "Lyra, please check on him?" Evelyn asks, then steps over Jonathan, "You were actually at Hamunaptra?" Evelyn asks the man.

 

    I kneel in front of Jonathan, "See, this is why you don't do things like this." I say, shaking my head.

 

    Jonathan groans, holding his jaw, "Oh shut up, Lyra. And for the record, I did you a favor mentioning your last name. By the look on his face, it looked like he knew you." I roll my eyes.

 

    "Oh please, Jonathan. If he was my brother, he would've confronted me on the spot." I say, he grunts in pain, I snicker and look up, seeing Evelyn flustered and the man gone. 

 

    "Umm... Lyra. Make sure Jonathan gets looked at while I try to get this man out of here?" Evelyn asks, then follows the warden, I sneer,  _'That warden... he needs to shower.'_ I think, helping Jonathan up.

 

**~Two Hours Later~**

 

Evelyn comes back, with the man slowly trailing behind. "Lyra, make sure he gets cleaned up please? I'll take Jonathan home." I open my mouth to say something and then close it, then roll my eyes and rest the man's arm around my shoulder as I half carry the man all the way back to my apartment.  _'If he is... my God will that be a relief.'_ I think, opening my door and setting him down in one of my table chairs.

 

    He whistles, "Nice place, Lyra." he says, impressed. "You keep this place to yourself?" he asks, I sigh and take off my cloak and remove my sword, setting them on the bed. I then grab a chair and turn it around, I sit so that I'm leaning against the back on my arms. "So... you first." He shrugs, I just stare.

 

    "Show me your wrist." I say casually, he frowns but does what I say, showing the mark on his right wrist and setting it on the table, I roll up my sleeve and set my right arm next to his, showing the same mark, "Whenever we lose each other..."

 

    "We find each other with our tattoos." He finishes the sentence, I smile. "Lyra." is all he says, I stand.

 

    "Come on, Rick. Let's get you cleaned up." I say, he follows me as I point him to the bathroom. Once he's in, I make the quickest work of going to the military barracks and grabbing his weapons bag and his other belongings. I come back and find him a set of clothes for him in his stuff. Once he's done, I walk out of the room to let him change. I turn to hearing the door open, Rick walks out of the room clean and cut in a white button up, brown pants, and sand boots. I raise an eyebrow, but hug him anyway. "I'm so glad I found you, Rick." I sniffle, he squeezes me in a death gripping hug.

 

    "Here I was, thinking you were dead." He breathes, I smile. We both pull away after what felt like forever, "So," he pulls up a chair, setting it the same way I set it earlier, "You first." He says, I take a deep breath.

 

    "Where to begin..." I sigh, "I guess... the beginning." I say.

 

    I tell him everything, well, almost everything. From what happened when I was kidnapped, to my escape, how I have developed power over my younger years, and how I've lived here since. When Rick speaks, he talks about his time in the army and the last battle he was in, all leading up to him going to prison. "And here we are." He says, I look at the clock in the corner.

 

    A knock echos my room, I walk to my door and crack it open revealing Evelyn, "Oh good, you're awake. I just wanted to let you know that we're leaving soon. So if you could meet us at Giza Port, that would be splendid." She says cheerfully, I roll my eyes.

 

    "We'll be there." I say, then close the door. I turn around, "Well, now's the chance to redeem yourself, Rick." I smirk, he frowns as I put on my cloak and tie my sword to my waist. I look to see Rick still sitting there, "Rick..." He looks at me, "Move your ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	5. Smooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey finally begins with our characters boarding the barge and riding through the Nile River to their destination, but is cut short when the Medjai ambush the boat on the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 5: Smooth

 

    We set out to Giza Port, trying to find Evelyn and Jonathan in the bustling crowd of people walking by. It took a bit, but we found them. "Anyone I know?" Rick asks, looking down at Evelyn with eyebrows raised.

 

    Evelyn's mouth hangs open, "Oh," she sets her bags down, "Umm... hello." Evelyn gapes, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Smashing day to start an adventure, aye O'Connell?" Jonathan asks Rick, patting his chest. 

 

    "Yeah, yeah smashing." Rick nods, then checks his jacket pocket.

 

    "Oh no, I'd never steal from my partner, partner?" Jonathan assures him, they both chuckle.

 

    "That reminds me, no hard feelings about the uhh..." Rick asks, faking a punch to the jaw.

 

    "Oh no, no. It happens all the time. Your sister umm... has hit me a few times." He says, I look at Rick as he gives me a look.

 

    "I'll tell you later." I say, then walk up to the boat and let them socialize.

 

    It's not long before Rick catches up with me, "So, start talking." He says with an amused grin on his face, I chuckle.

 

    "The first time I punched him was because he told me that I wasn't strong enough to fight my own battles." I explain, Rick's eyes widen. "So to prove it, I punched him in the stomach and flipped him on his back." I add, Rick snickers.

 

    "You're serious?" He chuckles, I smile.

 

    "Yes, I am. He deserved that." I say, he shakes his head. We walk into Rick's small room, I sit in the lounge chair.

 

    "Oh umm... I made you something." He hands me a long box with ribbon tied to it, "It's to make up for all the birthday's I missed." he says, then sits across from me. I raise an eyebrow and remove the ribbon, opening the wooden box, my eyes widen.  _'Ok whoa.'_ I think, pulling the black polished, long barreled pistol out of the box. "Read the engraving."

 

    I turn the gun on it's side, "To my loving sister, I give you Jackal." I read, admiring how largely written 'Jackal' was. "Wow... I'm gonna have to put this into practice soon." I say, setting the box on the mini table, I check the pistol to see if the safety is on. "Silver bullets, long barrel for a more longer and powerful shot. This gun can blast a man to pieces." I say as I aim at the wall, Rick chuckles.

 

    "It took me a while to make, but worth it. I've tested it, it has whiplash so I suggest you stand still and keep your arm under the barrel." Rick advises, I nod. 

 

    "With my strength, I don't think it'll be a problem." I smirk, holstering it under my sword belt. 

 

**~Night~**

 

   We both make our way out the dining area, where Jonathan is playing poker with a bunch of other men. "Oh O'Connell, sit down, sit down, we could use another player." Jonathan says, Rick and I roll our eyes.

 

   "I only gamble with my life, never my money." Rick says, I smirk,  _'I can live with that.'_ I think.

 

   "Never? What if I was to bet you $500 says we get to Hamunaptra before you?" A man in dark clothing dealing the cards asks, I frown.

 

   "You're looking for Hamunaptra?" Rick asks.

 

   "Damn straight, we are." Another man looking at his hand answers.

 

   "And who says we are?" I ask, staring straight at Jonathan. As I thought, they all point at him.

 

   "He does." They say in unison, Jonathan laughs nervously while Rick and I give him death glares.

 

   "I'm gonna go find Evelyn, Evening, Jonathan." I say as I squeeze Jonathan's shoulder while I pat Rick on the back, walking out to the stables. A falcon lands on my shoulder, I look and I immediately recognize it. "Horus, you brought a message." I say, taking the mini scroll off his leg and opening it. It said two words written in Arabic,  **'Ambush'** and  **'Careful.'** I nod and he flies away. I find Evelyn reading at one of the tables, I sit next to her. "Reading as usual?" I ask, she smiles.

 

   "As often as I can, yes." She answers, I chuckle. "I didn't get the chance to tell you but... your brother... he kissed me." she says, my brows furrow.

 

   "Ok, now I have to kill him." I growl, she sighs.

 

   "Let me get an explanation first." She whines, I roll my eyes. Rick then startles us by dropping his weapon sack onto the table in front of us, Evelyn shouts in surprise while I glare at him.

 

   "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." Rick apologizes while he takes off his jacket, I sit back in the chair.

 

   "The only thing that scares me Mr. O'Connell are your manners." Evelyn sasses, I cough lightly to hide my amusement.

 

   Rick winces, "Still angry about that kiss, huh?" he asks as he unbuckles the buckles on the sack.

 

   "Well, if you call that, a kiss." Evelyn retorts, I snicker. Rick glares at me then opens his weapon sack, sprawling it on the table, I shrug. "Umm... did I miss something? Are we... Are we going into battle?" Evelyn asks, Rick sits down and pulls out one of pistols held up there. 

 

   "Lady, there's something out there." He spins the bullet carrier after loading it, "Something underneath that sand." he then holsters it.

 

    I drown them out until I hear something that catches my attention. "Oh.. By the way... why did you kiss me?" Evelyn asks, I look at Rick.  _'This better be a good reason.'_ I think, Rick scoffs.

 

    "I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Rick says, I give him the most evil death glare as Evelyn walks off, "What? What did I say?" he asks, looking at me. Then immediately regrets it, "Sorry."

 

    "Yeah, real smooth, Rick." I stand, "You're lucky you're my brother, or else I would've punched you in the mouth. Better yet..." I say, then smack him in the back of the head.

 

    "Oww! Lyra!" He snaps, I roll my eyes and catch up with Evelyn. 

 

    "You ok?" I ask, she pets the camel.

 

    "I'll be fine, it's just words." She says, after standing around, Rick looks at her while converting with a man in a fez, she looks at him then walks away, pulling me with her.

 

**~Later~**

 

"Lyra, I'm happy for you." She says after walking out of the foldable curtain in a white nightgown, I sit in one of the chairs, "You found your brother." I chuckle

 

    "Oh come on, Evelyn. Don't worry, you won't get replaced. I promise." I assure her, I stand and give her a hug. "Well, I'm going to get a drink." I say, walking out. I close the door behind me and lean against it. I take a deep breath and walk to one of the edges of the boat to watch the water, I sense a presence and hold my sword handle in a tight grip. 

 

    "Relax Lyra, it's just me." Rick says, I sigh and let go of my sword handle, "Have you seen Evelyn?" he asks.

 

    "Down the hall, last door on the left." I answer, it's not long before I hear gunshots,  _'And so it begins.'_ I think, removing my sword from it's sheath. A Medjai warrior attacks me, after a few sword strokes. I cut his side and knock him down.  **'Next time watch who you're fighting.'** I warn, then walk away to find Jonathan. After running into a few more warriors, I gave them just a few injuries and leave them be. It wasn't long before the boat was in flames and people began jumping into the water.

 

    I find Rick and Evelyn at the dining area of the barge, "Can you swim?" Rick calls to Evelyn.

 

    "Of course I can swim if the occasion calls for it!" Evelyn calls back.

 

    "Trust me!" Rick picks her up, "It calls for it!" Then throws her off the boat, I roll my eyes and rest my sword back in it's sheath, jumping in after her. We all manage to get to shore, with the warden trailing behind us, I wring out my hair.

 

    "We've lost everything, all of our tools, all the equipment, all my clothes..." Evelyn rants, I roll my eyes.

 

    "O'Connell! Hey, O'Connell!" We all turn around to see the same man I saw Rick talking to earlier, "It looks to me like I've got all the horses!" He calls.

 

    "Hey Beni! Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" Rick calls back, I snicker as we all turn back and walk towards the town. 

 

**~The Next Day~**

 

   I wait with Evelyn to help her buy new clothes, and the women pick out something fitting for her, "Well? How do I look?" Evelyn asks, twirling around. I roll my eyes,  _'This woman... always about image.'_ I think.

 

    "Evelyn, that's the fifth time you asked me. And for the fifth time, you look beautiful." I say, she sighs. 

 

    "I'm sorry, I just..." she trails off.

 

    "Trying too hard to impress my brother?" I ask, she uses the face cover to hide her cheeks, I roll my eyes and pay the woman,  **'Thank you.'** I say, they walk us out the men guiding camels, Rick's jaw nearly drops at the sight of Evelyn, "See?" I say, grabbing my own camel and following Jonathan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	6. Hamunaptra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyra and her friends set out through the desert to find Hamunaptra, not knowing what danger lurks in the City of the Dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 6: Hamunaptra

 

    After days and nights of travel by camel, Rick says we're close to where we need to be. It's not until we realize that it's early morning on the 4th day that we've stopped. "Good morning, my friend." Beni calls with his group of people on horseback behind him, which I see it's the same men from the barge. 

 

    "What the hell we doing?" One of the men ask with impatience.

 

    "Patience, my good barat'm. Patience." Beni assures him, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Remember our bet, O'Connell. First one to the city, 500 cash bucks." Rick shakes his head as he looks at the horizon, I glare at Rick.

 

    "A hundred of them bucks is yours if you help us win that bet." Another one says.

 

    "Oh, my pleasure." Beni drones, I shake my head. "Hey O'Connell, nice camel." Beni says, Rick pets the camel as an answer.

 

    "Get ready for it." Rick says, I look at the horizon. 

 

    "For what?" Evelyn asks.

 

    "We're about to be shown the way." Rick answers, I watch as the sand shift with the rising sun, creating a mirage of waves in dark colors. Then the city begins to appear.

 

    "Will you look at that?" One says in awe.

 

    "Can you believe it?" Another says

 

    "Hamunaptra." Says another.

 

    "Here we go again." Rick says, shaking his head. As soon as the sun has risen over the city, the race begins. I keep up with Evelyn, who passes me almost abnormally fast.

 

    "Careful, Evelyn!" I call, then passes Rick as well, my eyes widen.  _'Way to go, Evelyn.'_ I think, she makes it into the city. I follow close behind Rick.

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                      ~~~

 

     As Rick ties a rope to the largest pillar, I look out to the rest of the city. "Hey Lyra!" Jonathan calls me, I jog over to him. "You think O'Connell is going to take a chance for my sister?" He asks, nodding over to Rick, who is giving Evelyn something.

 

    "Who knows? Sounds like you don't care all that much." I shrug, walking away as Rick swings down the hole we found, I shrug and jump down, landing on my feet. 

 

                                                                                                                       ~~~

 

    "Do you realize we're standing inside a room no one has entered in over 3,000 years?" Evelyn asks openly, I raise an eyebrow as I snap my finger and a small flame lights my index finger, then light Rick's torch.

 

    "Thank you." Rick says, I smirk.

 

    "Whew! What is that god awful stench?" Jonathan sniffs, I roll my eyes,  _'Look up, idiot.'_ I think.

 

    "And then there was light." I hear Evelyn say behind me, the room brightens immensely.

 

    "Hey, that is a neat trick." Rick says, impressed by what Evelyn did. I roll my eyes, pulling out my pistol.

 

    "Oh my God, it's a sah-netjer." Evelyn says in awe, I raise my eyebrow once more.

 

    "What?" Rick asks.

 

    "A preparation room." Evelyn elaborates, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Preparation for what?" Rick asks, obviously not getting it.

 

    "For entering the afterlife." Evelyn answers with a smile, Rick pulls out a gun.

 

    "Mummies, my good son. This is where they made the mummies." Jonathan adds, using Rick torch to light his.

 

    We walk through the dark and decayed halls, littered with cobwebs. I feel a chill run down my spine. Then, sounds of large packs of bugs run within the wall, everyone whirls around to figure out what it is.

 

    "What was that?" Jonathan asks, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Sounds like... bugs." Rick drones.

 

    "He said 'bugs'." Evelyn hisses.

 

    "What do you mean bugs? I hate bugs!" The warden panics.

 

    We finally find an opening, shedding some light into the dark room with the torches. "The legs of Anubis." Evelyn says, we look at the bottom half of the statue. I touch the engravings, and almost immediately jump back, nearly reliving a past memory. I take a deep breath, "The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here." she adds. 

 

    Eerie sounds begin to flood the walls around the room, we all hide behind the statue base while Rick pulls out his second gun from his holster and pulling the safety on both, I do the same. I hand Evelyn Rick's torch. We then jump out of cover to be held at gunpoint by the other Americans... and Beni, they shout. "Scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell." One said.

 

    "Likewise." Rick says, pushing on the safety. I do the same.

 

    "Hey, that's my tool kit." Another says, referring to the tool kit Evelyn is holding.

 

    "No I don't think so." Rick says, then the gun pointing begins again.

 

    "Okay? Perhaps I was mistaken." He says, I roll my eyes.

 

    We lower our guns, "Well, have a nice day, gentlemen. We have a lot of work to be getting along with." Evelyn say politely.

 

    "Push off, this is our dig site." The man with the fez sneers.

 

    "We got here first." Evelyn sasses, then the gun pointing begins once again.

 

    "Well look at you, looking tough with a gun in your hand. Come on, little lady. You know you can't even pull the safety." Another sneers, I smirk evilly and slowly pull back the safety.

 

    "Wanna test me on that boys?" I ask darkly, the man gulps. "Th- this here is our statue, friend." the man says, emphasizing on the word 'friend'.

 

    "I don't see your name written on it, pal." Rick says.

 

    "Yes well, there's only 5 of you, and 15 of me. Your odds are not so great, O'Connell." Beni sneers, Rick pulls back the safety on the pistols he's holding.

 

    "I've had worse." Rick says through gritted teeth.

 

    "Yeah, me too." Jonathan blurts, Rick and I give him the same look.

 

    "Oh, look, for goodness sake, let's be nice, children." Evelyn walks between us, causing everyone to lower their guns or put on the safety, Rick keeps his guns up. "If we're going to play together, we must learn to share." Evelyn looks at Rick and I, "There are other places to dig." She says, my eyes widen and I push the safety back, shoving back under my belt. Rick seems to get the message and lowers his guns.

 

                                                                                                              ~~~

 

    "According to these Hieroglyphics, we're underneath the statue." Evelyn says as Rick and I attack the roof with sledgehammers and pick axes, "We should come up right between his legs." she says.

 

    "When those damn yanks go to sleep... no offense." Jonathan says as the sand drains from the ceiling.

 

    "None taken." Rick grunts, handing Jonathan the sledgehammer and grabbing a pick axe, scraping at the ceiling.

 

    "We'll dig our way up and steal that book right up from under them." Jonathan says, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick asks Evelyn, I remove my cloak and fling it somewhere close by.

 

    "Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it. No offense." Evelyn answers.

 

    "None taken." I huff, handing the sledgehammer to Jonathan and jumping off the statue I was standing on. 

 

    "Hey, where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan asks.

 

    "Beats me." I shrug, sitting down to catch my breath. Once it's normal, I start up digging again. Then everyone takes a break while Jonathan uses the long digging hammer to swing at rocks.

 

One Hour Later...

 

    "Let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts and they stuffed them in jars." Rick repeats to Evelyn, while Jonathan gives a queasy look and I pinch the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, leaning against my leg and shaking my head.

 

    "And they take out your heart as well. Oh, and you know how they took out your brains?" Evelyn says, fascinated that Rick is actually listening, so am I. 

 

    "Evy, I don't think we need to know this." Jonathan warns, trying to distracting himself by hitting more rocks.

 

    "They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out through your nostrils." Evelyn ignores Jonathan and keeps talking, I gag.

 

    "Oh, that's gotta hurt." Rick winces, holding his nose at the thought.

 

    "It's called mummification. You'll be dead when they do this." Evelyn adds, I shake my head and sneer in disgust,  _'No thank you.'_ I think.

 

    "For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification." Rick tells Jonathan and I.

 

    "Likewise." Jonathan and I say at the same time as he hits another rock. As he does, the ceiling caves, releasing a sarcophagus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	7. Dangerous Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the ceiling collapses, Lyra and her friends try to figure out not only who it is but how to open it. Leading to a dangerous path of death trailing in the wake of the expedition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 7: Dangerous Path

 

    All of us stand there, staring at the sarcophagus. Evelyn coughs as we walk closer, "Oh my God, it's- it's a sarcophagus." Evelyn stammers, we all look up at the ceiling. "Buried at the base of Anubis. He must of been someone of great importance... or he did something very naughty." Evelyn says, looking at Rick. I take a deep breath, ignoring the chill down my spine.  _'This is a strange turn of events.'_ I think, Evelyn then grabs her tools and begins to brush off the sand, Rick helps.

 

    "Well, who is it?" Jonathan asks, grabbing a torch and giving them more light, I look over Rick's shoulder.

 

    "He that. Shall Not Be Named." Evelyn reads out the inscription, confused by how it was worded.

 

    Rick blows on something covered in sand, revealing a star shaped lock, "This looks like some sort of a lock." Rick points, I frown at the familiar shape. Then, my eyes widen with realization,  _'Oh no... oh no, no, no...'_ I think, taking a step back.

 

    "Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out." Jonathan says, I take a deep breath and nod slowly.

 

    "Yeah, no kidding. It'd take a month to crack into this thing without a key." Rick says, I gulp.  _'Please don't.'_ I think.

 

    "A key?" Evelyn frowns in concentration, then her eyes widen in realization.  _'Oh brilliant.'_ I think. "A key! A key! That's what he was talking about!" Evelyn then looks through Jonathan's stuff.

 

    "Who was talking about what?" Rick asks, looking at Jonathan and I, we both shrug.

 

    "The man! The man on the barge, the one with a hook!" Evelyn opens Jonathan's 'Puzzle Box', "He was looking for a key!"

 

    "Hey, that's mine!" Jonathan complains, I cross my arms and roll my eyes. I look over to see Evelyn setting the key on the lock, it fits perfectly. I put on my cloak,  _'Well, we're in trouble.'_ I think. Screams from down the corridor behind us, making us run in and follow the source. Rick and I pull out our guns, then we watch as the warden screams hysterically, holding his head and running down the hall past us to a dead end, running into the wall. He falls back and it's quiet, the screaming ceases, leaving an eerie silence. Rick goes to check on him.

 

    We hurry and follow Rick, he looks up, fear flickering his eyes, "He's dead." he says, my mouth opens slightly.  _'What the hell happened?'_ I think.

 

**-Night-**

 

"What do you suppose killed him?" Evelyn asks, I sit on my makeshift bed and stare into the fire I lit, one leg crossed and the other, my arm is resting on while I nibble my thumbnail.

 

    "Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan answers with another question.

 

    "Seems that our American friends had a little of their own today." Rick kneels next to me and Evelyn by the fire, "Three of their diggers were uhh, melted." He says, my eyes widen and I stop nibbling my thumbnail.

 

    "What?" Evelyn asks, shocked.

 

    "How?" Jonathan asks.

 

    "Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby trap." Rick answers, I frown, shaking my head.

 

    "Maybe this place really is cursed." Jonathan says, throwing something into the fire. The wind blows then disappears, Rick, Jonathan and I look at each other. 

 

    "Oh for goodness sake, you three." Evelyn sasses, I roll my eyes as Rick picks up a stick and pokes the fire.

 

    "You don't believe in curses?" Rick asks.  ** _"You betrayed me... you will pay."_** A sinister voice hisses in Egyptian in my head, I frown and look around.

 

    "No, I don't. I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, then it's real. That's what I believe." Evelyn says, staring at the fire.

 

    "I believe in being prepared." Rick says, cocking the shotgun he was carrying. 

 

    "Let's see what our friend the warden believed in." Jonathan says, going through the late warden's satchel, I stand and stretch.

 

     ** _"You will die."_** The voice hisses again, I look around once more.  _'Who the hell are you?'_ I think, Jonathan shouts in pain.

 

    "Oh my God, what is it?" Evelyn panics, I roll my eyes.

 

    "A broken bottle." Jonathan indeed pulls out a broken bottle, "Glenlivet, 12 years old!" Jonathan opens it, I roll my eyes and walk off, finding a secluded area to clear my thoughts. That's when I hear the whinnying of horses, I look behind me and a Medjai warrior knocks me down. I immediately go into attack mode and pull out my sword, blocking the sword stroke before he cuts me.

 

     **'Stop! What are you doing?'** I demand, the man stops. He removes his face wrap, "Ardeth." I breathe, he dismounts and helps me stands.

 

     **'Forgive me, my love. I didn't see your face.'** He apologizes, then he embraces me.  **'You have to leave here.'** He warns, I frown.

 

     **'You know why I can't, we've discussed this.'** I say, he rests his forehead against mine. 

 

     **'I know... I know...'** he pulls away and mounts his horse,  **'Meet me at the entrance.'** I nod and he rides away, I follow behind a few minutes later. I watch as Rick holds a lit fuse and Ardeth is across from him. "Enough!" he calls another command in Arabic, "We will shed no more blood. But you must leave, leave this place or die." All the Medjai mount their horses, "You have one day." Ardeth warns, mounting his own horse and leaving with his men. I slide my sword back into its sheath.

 

    "Hey Lyra!" Jonathan calls, I turn around, jogging over to him, "Here, have a drink." he says, handing me the broken bottle.

 

    "No thank you, Jonathan. I would prefer to have a good night sleep than wake up with a headache." I say, he rolls his eyes and I turn and walk towards the entrance. 

 

    "Lyra, where you going?" Rick calls, I turn.

 

    "For a walk, why?" I say, then walk out of the city. I lean against one of the fallen pillars, looking up at the stars. "So beautiful." I sigh.

 

    "They are, aren't they?" I hear Ardeth's voice next to me, I turn my head to see him standing next to me. "That man... he's your brother isn't he?" he asks, referring to Rick.

 

    "How could you tell?" I ask, he smiles.

 

    "There's a resemblance." he answers, I chuckle, looking up at the stars. "You looked pale. Did something happen?" 

 

    "A voice... was talking to me. It wasn't Morgana's either." I admit, looking at Ardeth. 

 

    He frowns, "Do you know who it was?" 

 

    I shake my head, "Not in the slightest." I answer, that's when his hand rests on mine, intertwining in a tangle. I look down at our hands and smile, "Was there a reason why you wanted to talk to me?" I ask, he smiles.

 

    "No." Is all he says and I chuckle,  _'I figured.'_ I think, "I have missed you." he adds, I smile. He pulls me into his embrace, and our lips clash. We stayed in this position for God knows how long, our lips intertwining in a slow dance as he pulls me in closer. He finally pulls away, resting his forehead against mine, "I have to go." he whispers.

 

    "I wish you didn't have to, I've missed you so much." I frown, he grins. 

 

    "I'm certain that we'll see each other soon, Lyra." he assures me, we hold hands as we walk towards his horse. Giving me another quick kiss, then mounts his horse. "Be careful, Lyra." I nod, and like that, he rides away.    


	8. To Open a Sarcophagus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sarcophagus is finally opened, and some light is shed but questions arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 8: To Open a Sarcophagus

 

 

    I wake up and stretch, sitting up on my makeshift bed. Memories of last night flood my thoughts, I press my fingertips against my lips, smiling to myself. I look over to see Rick brewing coffee for everyone, I smile and set my hand in the sand,  _'Apples... green apples.'_ I think. A sprout pops out of the sand, and quickly grows into a full grown apple tree. I lean against it and on cue, an apple falls into my hand, Rick looks over at me and rolls his eyes, "Show off." he murmurs, I smirk.

 

    "What was that?" I ask, he rolls his eyes and concentrates on brewing the coffee. I smile and stand, picking a few apples off the tree before I dissolve the tree into nothing. I toss Rick an apple and he catches it. "Don't be upset, Rick. At least I have the courtesy to feed everyone in the area." I smile, kneeling down to gently shake Evelyn awake. She opens her eyes in a squint, holding her head and slowly sitting up. I hand her an apple, she smiles tiredly.

 

    "Thank you, Lyra. Maybe this will help with the headache." She says, taking a bite out of the apple.

 

    I frown, "Headache?" I ask, eyebrows raised. I turn to Jonathan, who is still asleep, and snatch the broken bottle from him. He jolts awake, "Empty huh? So you guys decided to get Evelyn drunk while I was asleep?" I ask in a stern tone.

 

    Rick scratches the back of his neck, "Well, we-" I cut him off.

 

    "You know what? I don't wanna know. Just finish up the coffee so we can open that sarcophagus." I snap, sitting back down on my makeshift bed and biting into my apple. I tie my hair up and grab my cloak, tying it around my neck. After Rick gives everyone coffee, we set out back to our dig site to open the sarcophagus.

 

    "I can't believe I allowed the two of you to get me drunk." Evelyn sulks as Jonathan, Rick, and I set the sarcophagus upright.

 

    "Don't blame me, I don't even remember being there." Jonathan shrugs, I roll my eyes.

 

    "Well neither do I, thank you." Evelyn snaps, I wince as Rick gives a hurtful look.

 

    "You don't?" Rick asks, she fidgets with her shirt.

 

    "No... Why? Should I?" She asks, trying to play coy.

 

    Then Rick smiles, "Gee, yeah, you told me it was the best time you ever had." Evelyn's face drops, I roll my eyes and smack Rick in the back of the head, "Oww, what?" He chuckles, I can't help but chuckle at Evelyn's expression, neither can Jonathan. As we laugh, the first lid of the sarcophagus falls with a loud thud, making everyone grab their throbbing head and groan in pain, I roll my eyes.

 

    "See? Why didn't you guys listen to me?" I ask with my arms crossed, shaking my head. I take off my cloak and set it down on one of the statues, waiting for everyone to recover.

 

    Once they do, we take the second sarcophagus out and set it upright. "Oh, I've dreamed about this since I was a little girl." Evelyn beams, her excitement wavering.

 

    "You dream about dead guys?" Rick asks, Rick and I raise an eyebrow. 

 

    "Look, the sacred spells have been chiseled off." Evelyn steps closer to look at the inscription of the spells on the sarcophagus. "This man must have been condemned not only in this life, but in the next." She explains while Jonathan opens the key from his pocket.

 

    "Tough Break." Rick says, leaning against the sarcophagus.

 

    "Yeah I'm all tears. Now lets," Jonathan grunts as he unlocks the coffin, "See who's inside shall we?" 

 

    Jonathan and Rick open the sarcophagus while I stand by Evelyn and watch them open it, the lid pops open and a decaying, deformed, unwrapped mummy pops out. Everyone screams while my eyes widen in horror,  _'My God... what the hell happened to him?'_ I think. "Oh my, God. I hate it when these things do that." Evelyn snaps.

 

    "Is he supposed to look like that?" Rick asks, disgusted.

 

    "No, I've never seen a mummy look like this before. He's still... still..." Evelyn tries to place the right word.

 

    "Juicy." We all say, sharing the same disgusted look.

 

    "Yes. He must be more than 3,000 years old, and, well it looks as if he's still decomposing." Evelyn says, curious as always. I look down at the lid, looking at the littered scratch marks.

 

    "Hey, look at that." Rick points to the lid, we all kneel down to inspect it, "What do you make of this?" he asks, pointing at the marks.

 

    "My God, these marks were made with..." Evelyn traces them.

 

    "Fingernails." I finish her sentence, feeling chills rush down my spine.

 

    "This man was buried alive." Rick and I share a worried glance, "And he left a message." Evelyn adds, pointing to the written Egyptian message.

 

    "'Death... is only the beginning.'" Evelyn and I translate, all of us glance at each other and look at the decaying mummy.

 

**~Evening~**

 

 

   "So..." Evelyn says as she picks up the scarab skeletons while I investigate the front of the lid's incantations, I rest my hand on it and close my eyes, getting flashes of past memories, I open my eyes and take my hand off of it,  _'What does that even mean?'_ I think, "I heard you met with someone after the battle." she says, snapping me out of my train of thought.

 

   I sigh and look at her, she smirks, "Just... just don't tell Rick alright?" I ask, she squeals and hugs me.

 

   "I'm so happy for you, you finally found love." she says, I roll my eyes. 

 

   "Come on, we'll miss dinner." I say. We walk out of the chamber and leave through the entrance, meeting everyone in the heart of the city.

 

   "Look what we found." Evelyn calls.

 

    "You're in their seats." Rick says in a monotone voice to Beni, Beni scoffs, "Now." Rick snaps, Beni immediately moves.

 

    "Scarab skeletons. Flesh eaters. We found them inside our friend's coffin." Evelyn and I sit and hand them out to everyone to look at, "They can stay alive for years, feasting on the flesh of a corpse. Unfortunately for our friend, he was still alive when they started eating him." She continues, I study mine.  _'Imagine what a swarm of them could do.'_ I think, setting it back in her hand.

 

    "So someone threw these in with our guy and they slowly ate him alive?" Rick asks, I nod.

 

    "Very slowly." I say, Rick places the corpse back in her hand, so does everyone else.

 

    "Well he certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him was he?" Jonathan asks, Rick pokes at the fire with a large stick.

 

    "Well, maybe got a little too frisky with the Pharaoh's daughter." Rick jokes, we all chuckle.

 

    "Well according to our readings, our friend suffered the Hom-Dai. The worst of all Ancient Egyptian curses, one reserved only for the most evil of blasphemers. In all of my research, I've heard of this curse actually being performed." Evelyn explains.

 

    "That bad, huh?" Rick asks.

 

    "Yes. Well, they never used it because they feared it so. It is written that, if a victim of the Hom-Dai should ever arise, he would bring with him the 10 plagues of Egypt." Evelyn says, I feel a chill run down my spine at her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	9. Curiosity Killed the Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Creature is awakened, which gives Lyra bad effects. Disoriented, she attempts to battle him, not knowing that he is the cause of her new weakened state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 9: Curiosity Killed the Man

 

    Once everyone has settled, the whole city sleeps. Except for Evelyn, I wake to her setting something large and dark on her reading table, "That's called stealing, you know?" Rick says with his eyes closed, then cracks them open. I sit up to see Evelyn digging in Jonathan's jacket for the key, my eyes widen and I sit up. I tie my sword to my waist and tuck my gun under the belt.

 

    "According, to you and my brother, it's called borrowing." She huffs, crawling back over to her reading table. Rick and I look over her shoulders.

 

    "I thought the book of Amun-Ra was made out of gold." Rick says, I move to sit in front of them as Evelyn translates the key's inscriptions.

 

    "It is made out of gold. This isn't the book of Amun-Ra, this is something else. I think this may be the Book of the Dead." The key opens, and Evelyn sets it down on the book's lock, my eyes widen in realization.

 

    "The Book of the Dead?" Rick asks, I look at him with concern.

 

    "Evelyn, are you sure you're meant to be playing around with this thing?" I ask, giving the book a worried glance.

 

    "It's just a book, no harm ever came from-" she turns the key and the locks click open, "Reading a book." She opens it and a gust of strong flows by, whistling in the air. 

 

"That happens a lot around here." Rick says, then looks over Evelyn's shoulder, "So, what's it say?" 

 

    "Amun Ra, Amun Dai. It speaks of the night and of the day." She says to Rick, then continues to read the Egyptian inscription.

 

     _ **"Awaken me.."**_ The sinister voice hisses in my head, my eyes widen in realization.

 

     "Evelyn wait!" I shout, but it's too late. A loud, angered roar echos in my head. I cry out in pain, holding my head in my hands as I cover my ears. I pull my hands away to see them stained with blood. 

 

     The Egyptologist wakes and shouts, "NO! You must not read from the book!" He panics and stands, Rick looks at my hands.

 

     "Evelyn..." I look up at her, her eyes widen. "What have you done?" I ask, the winds picks up quick, making everyone wake up and look at the city wall. A dark cloud begins to form- no... not a cloud, locusts.

 

     "RUN!" Rick shouts, we all run towards the inner city to the tunnels as the locusts come through with swift vengeance. We run through the sandy tunnels, trying to find our way through the maze of halls. Another roar echos through my head, I shout in pain as I cover my ears, "Lyra, what's happening to you?" Rick panics, I look up, red blurring my vision.

 

     "My God, Lyra." Evelyn gasps, the hall shakes violently, we all look around frantically, then look to see the sand rising in front of us. I wipe my eyes, staining my shirt sleeves. Scarabs pop out of the top of the mountain of sand, "SCARABS!" Evelyn shouts, we run the other way. 

 

     "Run, Evy!" Jonathan shouts.

 

     "Go, Go, GO! RUN!" Rick shouts, throwing his torch and using his shotgun while flame spews out of my hands like a flamethrower, pushing the scarabs back, I catch up with everyone and jump to where Evelyn is standing. Unknowingly, we fall through a trapped door.

 

     Evelyn and I land on the ground after the trap door closes, we both look around in the dark room and help each other up. I pull out my gun, we then turn to see one of the Americans standing in the dark, "Oh! Oh Mr. Burns, thank goodness I was... just starting to get scared, I... lost everyone." Evelyn walks over to him, He turns and I push Evelyn behind me.

 

    "MY EYES... MY EYES!!!" He cries in a garbled voice, we both back away. A growl hovers behind us and we turn around, the mummy we opened, the one Evelyn resurrected, was growling and staring at us with an angered gaze. Evelyn screams while I keep her behind me.

 

     _ **"Remove yourself, Morgana... you're too weak to fight me."**_ The creature growls in Egyptian, my eyes narrow.

 

     _ **"I can still keep you at bay until reinforcements come."**_ I spit back, pointing my gun at him.

 

     _ **"All those men killed because of your fear of me."**_ the creature grabs me by the neck and pushes me against the wall, holding me against it. I gasp for air and claw at his hand, dropping my gun. Fire spreads across his arm, he growls and it disappears.

 

    "Lyra!" Evelyn panics, he looks at her and drops me, I gasp and cough, holding my neck. 

 

    "Anck-Su-Namun?" he asks with confusion, I gain my composure and pull out my sword. Standing and stabbing straight through the chest, he flinches but nothing happens. He pull the sword out slowly then throws it,  _ **"Bad decision."**_ he grabs me by my shirt front,  _ **"You should know that my curse affects you as much as it does me."**_ he growls, then roars and throws me against the wall on the other side of the room. Dark spots blurs my vision,  _'His... curse...'_ I think, before I slip into darkness.

 

                                                                                                                ~~~

 

    In and out of consciousness, I hear voices,  **'To let her go in blind like this... it's dangerous to her.'** I hear Ardeth say.

 

     **'It is true, she should've been told. But you knew of the curse as well. And how to end it, Ardeth.'** Another voice says.

 

     **'I feel just as responsible. Why didn't Morgana tell her the truth?'** Ardeth grimaces.

 

     ** _'You should know better than to eavesdrop, Lyra.'_** I hear Morgana echo in my head, I turn and there she was, standing in the room that is my mind.

 

    "What were they talking about? What is this curse?" I demand, she sighs.

 

    "I was hoping it would skip you. But unfortunately, that didn't happen. It's called the Binding Curse." She explains.

 

    "The Binding Curse?" I ask, she pulls up a chair and sits, so do I.

 

    "The creature uttered the curse right before his tongue was cut, cursing all of your descendants eternal pain and suffering. If he ever arose, your powers would be useless against him and you would be utterly human when near. But I know that you can take him down, you can only do it once. So use it wisely." She warns, I frown.

   

    "Can it be broken?" I ask, she nods.

 

    "Yes, there's a spell in the Book of Amun-Ra that takes his power. That alone weakens the curse, but to break it. You have to kill him while he's mortal, no one else." She answers, I frown but nod. "Forgive me, and forgive Ardeth. It was my responsibility to inform you." she disappears with a bow and I'm left in the emptiness of my own mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	10. Well Deserved Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking from her slumber, Lyra realizes that quickly ending this won't be the plan anymore. Learning more and more about her ancestors, she finds out the not only does she have to kill the creature, he weakens her to the point of humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 10: Well Deserved Explanations

 

    I wake to the sound of talking, after my eyes adjust to the light, I sit up and look around.  _'The Curator's office?'_ I think, standing and holding my head. I find my sword and gun, tying the sword around my waist and tugging the gun under the belt. I put my cloak on and turn as the door opens, Ardeth stops in his tracks. I smirk, and almost immediately, we walk towards each other and share a new bone crushing hug. "You're alright." He breathes, I nod into his neck. He pulls away to look at me, "My men found you, you had lost so much blood and you were so pale." I frown and look at the carpet.

 

   I pull away and begin slowly pacing, "How many days has it been?" I ask, he frowns.

 

   "You've been asleep for 3 days." He admits, my eyes widen and I stop to look at him.

 

   "3 days?" I ask, he nods, "Did the others make it back?" I ask, he frowns.

 

   "Everyone left the city after the creature rose, but your brother wanted to stay and look for you. I told him that I would find you and bring you back. But Dr. Bey ordered me to bring you here." He explains, I grimace. 

 

   Someone clears their throat behind us and we turn, it was Dr. Bey, "We need to talk." he says, we nod and follow him upstairs to the Pharaoh exhibit, we then all sit in separate chairs.  **'I'm afraid that this has caused a ripple within the tribes, it won't be long before they begin to fight over the decisions.'** he explains, I frown. 

 

    **'I thought so... my visions were right. But that isn't the problem right now. I have some news from Morgana about my condition.'** I say, they nod to me.  **'I can't kill the creature. Not without the Book of Amun-Ra. And for reasons I don't know the books were switched. And because of the curse that's been put on my entire bloodline I can't do anything to harm him.'** I explain, they look at each other.

 

    **'The Binding Curse. A dangerous one, but if used no peace is settled within the recipient's life. That includes the children and the children after.'** Ardeth explains, I stand,  **'The book, it has the cure.'**

 

    **'You knew?'** I ask, he frowns and opens his mouth to say something, but is cut off with a thundering boom, shaking the building. My eyes widen and I run up the next flight of stairs to the large window, with Ardeth and Dr. Bey following behind me. We all stop in our tracks as balls of fire rain down over Cairo and towards Giza, blood staining the Nile River.  **'He's here.'** I say, A loud, angry roar bellows in my ears. I fall to my knees and cover my ears, squeezing my eyes shut and screaming with the roar. Flashes of the events flood my mind, Burns getting the life sucked out of him, the creature regenerating, Beni leaving the room, Rick and Evelyn in the room and the other men trying to help Rick injure the creature. I slowly open my eyes,  **'They'll be here soon, expect hostility.'** I say, taking my hands off my ears, Ardeth helps me up. We make our way back down to the exhibit, Ardeth pulls me aside.

 

   "Lyra, I'm... Forgive me, I should've told you the truth about the curse-" He apologizes, but I stop him mid sentence, pressing my lips against his. He relaxes into the kiss, we finally pull away for air, resting his forehead against mine.

 

   "Ardeth..." I breathe, he nods, "I'm not angry at you for keeping it a secret, I was going to be told about it sooner or later. Now come on, don't want to keep anyone waiting." We walk back into the exhibit hand in hand. Then go back into the conversation of the 12 Tribes, then hear commotion in the hall.

 

   "You?!" Evelyn snaps at Ardeth, then looks at me and her eyes widen with realization as Rick and all the men point their guns at us.

 

   "Ms. Carnahan, gentlemen." Dr. Bey calmly greets.

 

   "What is he doing here?" Evelyn snaps, I give her hard look.

 

   "Do you really want to know or would you prefer to just shoot us?" Dr. Bey asks, everyone puts their guns away. 

 

   "After what I just saw, I'm willing to go on a little faith here." Rick answers, we either take seats or stand, I decide to stand on the other side of where Ardeth is standing.

 

   "So how are you all part of this?" Evelyn asks, Ardeth nods to Dr. Bey.

 

   "We are part of an Ancient Secret Society. For over 3,000 years we have guarded the city of the dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our part to stop the high priest Imhotep being reborn into this world." Dr. Bey explains, then sits in the last empty chair.

 

   "And now, because of you, we have failed." Ardeth says, pertaining to Evelyn.

 

   "And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evelyn snaps.

 

   "To stop this creature, let me think." Dr. Bey answers.

 

   "Yes!" All three of us say in unison, Evelyn scoffs.

 

   "Question, why doesn't he like cats?" Rick asks, I smile at the flash of that event.

 

   "Cats are the guardians of the Underworld, he will fear them until he is fully regenerated." Dr. Bey answers.

 

   "And then he will fear nothing." Ardeth adds, I look at Evelyn.

 

   "And you know how he gets himself fully regenerated?" Daniels asks is a panicked tone.

 

   "By killing everyone who opened that chest." Henderson sighs.

 

   "And sucking him dry, that's how!" Daniels snaps.

 

   "Jonathan, will you stop playing with that?" Evelyn snaps, I shake my head and roll my eyes, "When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra, he called Lyra Morgana, and me Anck-Su-Namun." Dr. Bey and Ardeth share looks of concern, "And then just now at Mr. Burn's quarters he asked me where my bodyguard was and tried to kiss me." That makes me look up.

 

   "Morgana? Who's Morgana?" Rick asks, I frown.

 

   "Morgana is... my ancestor. And is the reason why you're normal, and I'm not. I assume you already knew that we're not fully related." I explain, he frowns but nods, "The creature sees me as a target, and knows that I'm weak around him because of my connection to her heritage. Morgana and the creature were married a long time ago, but he betrayed her with Anck-Su-Namun." I explain. "He's going to try to raise her from the dead again."

 

   "And it appears he's already chosen his human sacrifice." Dr. Bey says, we look at Evelyn and her jaw slackens with fear. "On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature." Dr. Bey stands from the golden throne, I look up to see the moon covering the sun in an eclipse.

 

   "We'll need all the help we can get, his powers are growing." Ardeth says, looking up. Everyone follows our gaze as the room slowly becomes engulfed with darkness.

 

   "As he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt." Jonathan says, quoting the bible. 


	11. Boils And Sores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 11: Boils And Sores

 

   Once everyone left, I headed up the stairs and watch people stare at the eclipsed sun in awe. I lean against the window,  _'If only they knew the truth.'_ I think. I sigh and walk up the stairs to the roof, the door opens behind me, "Lyra." Ardeth calls, I turn around to face him.

 

   "What is it, Ardeth?" I ask, he walks over to me.

 

   "The Elders have begun to question your loyalties." He warns, I frown.

 

   "My loyalties? The creature is fighting tooth and nail to regenerate at any means and to retry the ritual after 3,000 years. And they have the nerve to question my loyalties? My loyalties lie with the Medjai, despite if I'm queen or not, royalty or a soldier. But I'm not ready to be queen, not until this is over." I turn and run, jumping off the roof and freeing my black tipped white wings and making my way to the fort, landing on Evelyn's balcony. I open the double glass doors and walk in through her room.

 

   "Again with the weird entrances, Lyra." Jonathan drones as he drinks from a flask, I roll my eyes.

 

   "We must stop him from regenerating! Who opened that chest?" Evelyn demands, I look at Rick, who is looking out the window.

 

   I cross my arms over my chest, "Well there was me and Daniels here. Oh and Burns, of course." Henderson answers.

 

   "And that Egyptologist feller." Daniels adds.

 

   "What about my buddy, Beni?" Rick asks, turning from the window.

 

   "No, he scrammed out of there before we opened the damn thing." Daniels answers.

 

   "Yeah, he was the smart one." Henderson snorts, I roll my eyes.

 

   "Eh well, that sounds like Beni." Rick scoffs.

 

   "We must find the Egyptologist and bring him back to the safety of the fort before the creature can get to him." Evelyn advises. 

 

   "Right, they stay here, you three come with me." Rick says, and turns as everyone makes up excuses while I raise an eyebrow. Rick's eyes narrow as Evelyn begins to object.

 

   "Who put you in charge?" Evelyn demands, Rick immediately walk over to her and effortlessly throws her over his shoulder, "O'CONNELL WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?! JONATHAN!" She shrieks as he opens her bedroom doors.

 

   "Umm.. sorry he's a bit... tall." Jonathan turns, I narrow my eyes and smack him in the back of the head.

 

   "Coward that you are, O'Connell you are not leaving me in here!" Evelyn snaps, Rick gives me a look and points to the door. I roll my eyes and go into Evelyn's room as Rick closes and locks the door, Evelyn pouts and crosses her arms, sulking on the bed. 

 

   "Sorry, Evelyn." I shrug, taking a seat in her desk chair, "But it's a bad idea to leave me in here, I can't hold him off for that long if he comes here."

 

   She looks at me, "That curse really damages your chances, doesn't it?" she asks, I nod. She stands and rummages through her closet, taking out a black night gown. I turn to face away from her, "There was something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

 

   "And that is?" I ask, she sighs.

 

   "That man, is he the one you were with that night?" She asks, my eyes widen.

 

   I sigh, "Yes. It was." Staring at my hands.

 

   "You can turn now," She says, I turn around and see that she's already dressed in the night gown. "I saw the way he looked at you, and I'm happy for you." She smiles, "Just... please be careful." she warns, I nod.

 

   She then gets into bed, "Rest well, Evelyn." I stand and look out to her balcony, a soft wind brushing my cheek. I look back to see Evelyn fast asleep, 

 

 _ **'You know he's coming, don't you?'**_ I hear Morgana say, I look to see he sitting in the same desk chair I was sitting in.

 

   "I'll be able to hold him off enough to buy time, Morgana, he isn't fully regenerated yet and I want to delay it as much as possible." I say, she frowns.

 

   "Then I'll hold him off, you're still injured from the last battle. But I will warn you, this will be the last time I will help you." she warns, I raise an eyebrow.

 

   "Are you sure you want to take the risk?" I ask, she answers with a sharp nod. I sigh, "Ok, I'll let you in." She nods and disappears,  _ **'Good choice. Now all we do is wait.'**_ She hisses in my head.

 

    _'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'_ I think, letting darkness consume me.

 

**~Later~**

 

*Morgana's Point of View*

 

   I hear a loud bang outside of the room, I frown is realization.  ** _'Just as I suspected.'_** I think, watching the sand trickle into the keyhole of the room. I pull out my sword as he materializes in front of me,  _ **"I was beginning to worry, abandoning your post isn't like you."**_ Imhotep growls.

 

    _ **"It isn't like you to take lives either but.."**_ a sword materializes in his hand,  ** _"I think we both know that changed when you killed the Pharaoh."_** Sword clash, not even fazing the woman fast asleep.

 

    _ **"Anck-Su-Namun will rise again, and not only take Nefertiti's beauty. But your power, we'll rule this world together. And destroy anyone in our path, starting with the precious Medjai."**_ He snarls, pushing me with his own force. I land with a kneel, feeling Lyra stir with anger.

 

    ** _"We both know you won't win, not when I end the curse and kill you."_** I hiss, swords clashing over and over.

 

    ** _"Not if I find the book first and destroy it."_** He growls, grabbing me by the hem of my shirt. His face decays at my touch.

 

    ** _"Too bad you don't know where it is."_** I smirk, the woman shrieks at the sight of us as the door opens, Lyra's brother bursts through the doors.

 

   "HEY! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SISTER!" Rick shouts, Imhotep growls and curses in anger. "Look what I got!" He hold up a cat and Imhotep let's go, roaring in fear, he turns into a sandstorm and floats away, we cover our faces. I let Lyra surface and I disperse.

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

   I look at Evelyn and at Rick, "You girls alright?" he asks, we both nod.

 

   "Well, I'm not sure." Jonathan blurts, Rick gives him a look while I roll my eyes and stand, resting the sword back into it's sheath.

 

   After disposing of Henderson's corpse, we gather who we have left and take the car back to the Museum. "Well, according to legend, the black book the Americans found at Hamunaptra is supposed to bring people back from the dead. Until now, it was a notion I was unwilling to believe." Evelyn explains as we all walk up the stairs, following Ardeth and Dr. Bey

 

   "Believe it, sister. That's what brought our buddy back to life." Rick snaps, I look at him,  _'Yep, he's mad.'_ I think.

 

   "Yes, I'm thinking that if the black book can bring dead people to life..." Evelyn theorizes, Rick cuts her off.

 

   "Then maybe the gold book can kill him." He says, sounding determined. 

 

   "That's the myth. Now we just have to find out where the gold book is hidden." Evelyn says, she opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by the sound of chanting outside, we all run to the large window, watching the townspeople covered in boils and sores marching towards the museum with weapons and torches, chanting Imhotep.

 

   "Last but not least, my favorite plague, boils and sores." Jonathan sighs.

 

   "They have become his slaves, so it has begun. The beginning of the end." Ardeth says, I frown.

 

   "Not quite yet, it hasn't. Come on." Evelyn demands, we follow her.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


	12. For All Eternity... Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Lyra knows the Imhotep is going to look for the book of Amun Ra, Evelyn and Lyra find the location and Lyra destroys the stone holding the information. Leaving the location only known to Evelyn and herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 12: For All Eternity... Idiot

 

   While Evelyn and Dr. Bey scour the stone, Ardeth, Rick, and I watch the door.  _'Oh for the love of-'_ I think, watching the double doors open and then waves of people rush in, yells echoing the halls. "Come on, Evy. Faster." Jonathan panics, I roll my eyes.

 

   "Patience is a virtue." Evelyn says in a sing song tone, I help them look for the location of the gold book. 

 

   "Not right now, it isn't!" Rick snaps, Jonathan fidgets.

 

   "Uh, I think I'll go get the car started." Jonathan hurries down the stairs. My eyes widen as Evelyn and I find the same thing.

 

   "I've got it! The golden Book of Amun-Ra is at Hamunaptra inside the statue of Horus! Take that, Bembridge Scholars!" Evelyn shouts with victory, I nod.

 

   "Everyone get back." I say, Dr. Bey and Evelyn step away, letting me point my open hand at the stone, light shines out of my palm as the stone shakes.

 

   "Lyra, your eyes." Evelyn gasps, I ignore her as I close my hand. The stone shatters, "Why did you do that?!" Evelyn demands, I look at her as I hear the engine running downstairs.

 

   "I'll explain later, right now, we have to go!" I say, we all run down the stairs to the back way and out to the car.

 

   "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Rick shouts.

 

   "Get this thing in gear, boy! Let's get out of here!" Daniels panics, we all cram into the car.

 

   "Evy! Come on, Evy! Hurry up." Jonathan calls, I watch as Beni runs out of the front door to see us escaping.

 

   "IMHOTEP! IMHOTEP!" Beni shouts to the top window, Imhotep shows his face and roars in anger.

 

   "You're gonna get yours, Beni! You hear me? You're gonna get yours!!" Rick shouts at him as we drive away from the slaves chasing us.

 

   Jonathan drives through a series of side shops, then stops abruptly, I turn around to see tons of the slaves blocking our path, everything becomes silent besides the sound of the engine. Jonathan shouts in pain and the car rams at full speed once more. The people begin to jog or walk towards us, "HANG ON!" Rick shouts as we begin to ram through people, some immediately begin to latch onto the car. All the able people like me, Rick, Ardeth, Dr. Bey, and Daniels either push them or punch them to the point of letting go, making them fall into the market booths behind. Rick and I look back to hear our names be called, but are too preoccupied to help Daniels. After fighting off what's left, Jonathan crashes into a large fountain and we hurry out of the car. Rick picks up a torch and waves it in front of the growing crowd of people as the continuously chanting 'Imhotep'. I stand next to Ardeth, sword drawn. 

 

    **'Now what?'** I ask Dr. Bey, he frowns, thinking of an answer. The chanting stops and the slaves part, making room for Imhotep to walk through.

 

   "It's the creature. He's fully regenerated." Dr. Bey says, I frown.

 

    _ **"Come with me, my princess. It is time to make you mine for all eternity."**_ Imhotep says, of course, Beni doesn't translate correctly.

 

   "For all eternity, idiot." Evelyn snaps, I smirk.

 

    _ **"Take my hand, and I will spare your friends."**_ Imhotep says again, holding out his hand to Evelyn.

 

    _ **"We both know you're lying."**_ I spit in Egyptian, he smirks.

 

    _ **"Either way, you are forced to come with me."**_ He chuckles,  _ **"Now, accept your fate, my queen. Or watch your Medjai die as I drag you away."**_ he threatens. I look at Evelyn and she looks at me and nods, we both walk towards Imhotep and Beni, my sword put away. 

 

   "No." Rick snaps, pulling out a pistol. Ardeth holds him back, keeping him from pulling the trigger.

 

   "Don't! He still has to take us to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual." Evelyn warns.

 

   "She's right, live today. Fight tomorrow." Ardeth says through clenched teeth, taking one last look at me. 

 

    **'Forgive me, my love.'** I call in Arabic, he frowns.

 

   Rick looks straight at Imhotep after putting his pistol away, "I'll be seeing you again." he snarls.

 

   As the the four of us leave,  _ **"Kill them all."**_ Imhotep commands and the slaves advance towards them as Evelyn thrashes against Imhotep's grip on her arm, while I just follow with my head hung low.

 

                                                                                                                  ~~~

 

   Traveling by sandstorm isn't the best way to travel through the desert, especially hitting you head on the way down. Imhotep practically spits us out, I grunt and brush myself off and remove my cloak. I stand, looking around for Evelyn. They land a little further away from me, "Get off of me! Get off!" Evelyn shouts at Beni, I roll my eyes and pick up my cloak, jogging over to them and helping Evelyn up. The wind picks up as Imhotep reforms his body with the sand.

 

   I snort,  _ **"I thought the sand was an improvement."**_ Evelyn smiles as Imhotep bumps past me, I rub my shoulder. "Here." I rest my cloak on her shoulders, she looks at me with confusion.

 

   "You're not wearing it?" She asks, I shake my head. We all look up to hear the buzzing sound of a fighter plane above us, I smile, "O'Connell." Evelyn sighs.

 

   Imhotep growls and walk to the edge of the hill, cracks form in the ground below and a large wall of sand rises. My eyes widen in realization,  _ **"That's cowardice and you know it!"**_ I snarl.

 

    _ **"Anything to keep my plan from being foiled."**_ he smiles evilly, opening his eyes. I hear gunshots in the distance and I roll my eyes at my brother's ignorance, raising my hand. A bright yellow light shines through my hand,  _ **"Your powers are useless."**_ he chuckles with victory, I smirk as the sand slows while the plane endlessly spins in the sandstorm.

 

    ** _"I can't destroy the wall,"_** I hiss, blood trickling out of my eyes and ears,  _ **"But I can slow it down!"**_ I growl, "Evelyn!" I call, she nods and runs over to him. And to my surprise, she kisses him on the mouth, my eyes go as wide as Imhotep's. I dissolve the wall of sand as blood pours out of my nose, the sand falls with a thud, and the plane crashes a few miles away.

 

   I fall to my knees, wiping the blood off of my nose and staring at it, "Lyra!" Evelyn panics, helping me up, "Always helping the people you care for." She sighs, I grunt in pain as black dots pepper my vision, "Lyra?" she questions, I collapse into the sand, consciousness leaving me at an instant. 

 

   


	13. Ritual Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ritual has begun, it may as well be the end for everyone. But with the luck of Jonathan, Rick, and Ardeth, the Book of Amun-Ra is found. Will Lyra be able to break the curse? Or will it be all too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 13: Ritual Gone Wrong

 

   I grunt as my eyes flutter open, looking up to see my hands chained over my head, I read the inscriptions on the cuffs and frown,  _'Oh, enchanted. Great.'_ I think. I look over and my jaw slackens, staring at the mummy wrapped decayed woman in front of me. I hold the urge to shriek in horror, to turn my attention to Evelyn, who is stirring from her sleep. I hear squeaking and look at her stomach, noticing the rat trying to climb onto her stomach. She huffs and looks up at her chained hands, then looks down as the rat climbs on her stomach. She panics and tries to turn on her side only to scream in horror as she came face to face with the mummified corpse. I roll my eyes as I hear groans coming from all directions, "Lyra!" Evelyn hisses, I look at her, "You're awake, thank goodness." She sighs, I roll my eyes.

 

   "What did I miss?" I hiss, she frowns almost immediately.

 

   "He said an enchantment, and corpses crawled their way out of the walls. O'Connell and the others are here!" She explains frantically, I raise an eyebrow and look around. Mummified priests stumble over and kneel around us and slowly begin to bow repeatedly, I look towards the stairs and my eyes narrow.

 

    _ **"Imhotep."**_ I growl, he just smirks and stands over me, hovering a hand over Anck-Su-Namun. He calls her name and moves his hand away and digs into his robes, pulling out Jonathan's key and opening the black book.

 

   "O'CONNELL! JONATHAN!" Evelyn cries out.

 

*Ardeth's Point of View*

 

   I reload the shotgun while O'Connell and the girl's brother open the compartment of the Statue of Horus, growls echo through the hallway in front of me. "Damn, these guys just don't quit do they?" O'Connell grunts. 

 

   I cock the shotgun, "Keep digging." Walking towards the hallway, shooting any of the priests that come near. Once they finally open the compartment, I run out of bullets. I look at them, "Save the girls. Kill the creature." I yell and run into the hallway, hitting any of the priests that I can, I get overtaken instantly.  _'For Lyra.'_ I think.

 

*Lyra's Point of View*

 

   As Imhotep reads, a soul from the black pool rises. Floating towards Anck-Su-Namun’s corpse, in the process, I feel the enchantments fail on the restraints and I relax. **_‘Imhotep should know that this would be too easy, my sister.’_** I hear a sinister woman’s voice echo in my head, I frown but ignore it. Anck-Su-Namun's rotted corpse awakes with a shriek after the lost soul settles in, she turns to Evelyn, eyeless and tongueless as Evelyn screams with horror.

 

  Imhotep stands over her, dagger raised and ready to strike,  _ **"With your death, Anck-Su-Namun shall live. And I shall be invincible!"**_ He shouts but immediately stops as we hear Jonathan from the stairs yelling that he found the book of Amun-Ra, I look up to see him holding the golden book,  _ **"The book of Amun-Ra."**_ Imhotep growls, making his way towards the stairs.

 

  "Shut up and get me off here, Jonathan!" Evelyn shouts, "Open the book, Jonathan! It's the only way to kill him!" Imhotep sets the dagger down and slowly makes his way towards the stairs, "You have to open the book and find the inscription!" Evelyn shouts, I sense a familiar presence in the room and I smirk,  _'Rick.'_ I think.

 

  "I can't open it! It's locked or something!" Jonathan calls back, "We need the key, Evy!" 

 

  "It's inside his robes!" I shout, pulling the chained cuffs off of the hook that held them, shattering them to pieces with a clang. Just as I flip backwards off the table, Rick jumps down and cuts through one of the chains holding Evelyn down to the table. A mummy grabs me in a choke hold and upon instinct, I elbow it and I burn it alive with a spin with a flame whip. I draw my sword and join the fight, "Took you long enough!" I shout at him as I cut off the mummy's head with a swift swing, giving me time to cut through the chains at Evelyn's ankles.

 

  "Thank the mummies for that!" Rick shouts back, I smirk as we fight side by side, chopping down what seems to be the last of them. "Mummies." he scoffs, raising his own sword to cut through the last cuff we both trip, shouting in surprise.

 

  A crawling mummy takes a bite out of my shoulder, I shout in pain and growl, "Take this!" and with the strength I have, I give it a ball of fire to the face, making it slump over. I hold my right shoulder and grab my sword, the sound of footsteps make me look up, seeing one of the mummies carry a large; carved stone over to Rick, who is also struggling with my previous problem while trying to grab his sword. "Rick!" I call, he looks at me, "Catch!" I toss him my sword and he slices through the mummy's legs just as it was about to raise the stone. The mummy roars and falls back, the stone falling on top of it with a loud thud.

 

  I stand and help him up, "Thanks, Lyra." He grunts, I smirk and pick up his sword, he hands me mine as I give him his. He cuts through the last chain as I pull off my off the cuff on my wrists with ease, then pull off Evelyn's cuffs. We make our way towards the nearest way towards the stairs, ignoring the fact that Anck-Su-Namun's corpse is missing. We then stop after the double doors open in front of us, revealing a small army of Mummified Egyptian soldiers marching towards the black pool in between us. They raise their weapons, "Oh yeah, this just keeps getting better and better." Rick says, I frown.

 

  "Umm... do something, Jonathan." Evelyn stammers.

 

  "Me?!" Jonathan snaps.

 

  "You can command them!" Evelyn retorts.

 

  "You have got to be joking." He says, I roll my eyes at this point.

 

  "Finish the inscription on the cover, idiot. Then you can control them!" I snap, annoyed. We take a few steps back as they advance towards, I then sense a presence behind us and turn, "EVY MOVE!" I shout, lunging and blocking Anck-Su-Namun's attempted strike with my sword, they clash loudly,  _ **"Your problem isn't with her, it's me you want isn't it?"**_ I hiss in Egyptian.

 

   _ **"MORGANA!"**_ Anck-Su-Namun shrieks, advancing at me to get a strike in, I block and I run, trying to keep her from Evelyn.

 

  "Sorry, Rick you're on your own!" I call, running through a maze of pillars to gain some distance, I turn and she's almost immediately in front of me, I block the dagger.  _ **"Still a terrible fighter, I see."**_ I hiss, remembering the previous glimpse I had in the past while I was resting.

 

   _ **"Not when I rip those eyes out of your head!"**_ She growls, I raise eyebrow and jump back from her deadly jab.

 

  "Hurry up, Jonathan!!" I shout, cutting her side. She backs me into a corner, grabbing me by the neck and holding me there, and stabs me in my side, I gasp.

 

   _ **"Eye for an Eye, sister."**_ She growls, I grab her wrist and push it back, pulling the blade out. 

 

   _ **"Not this time."**_ I growl, pushing with the heel of my hand with such force that she lands a few feet away on her back. 

 

  She immediately gets up, "Uh, Hootash im Ahmenophus." Jonathan commands, I look over to see Rick at the bottom of the second layer of stairs at weapon point. Then the mummified soldiers retract their weapons and stand in a military line, Rick stands and runs, grabbing his sword. Anck-Su-Namun then pushes me against a far pillar, I kneel, spitting up blood and looking up, Anck-Su-Namun storms over to me, "Fa-Koosha Anck-Su-Namun!" Jonathan commands, I raise an eyebrow and watch as the soldiers begin to storm over to Anck-Su-Namun with weapons raised. I run over to Rick and Evelyn, holding my side as I hear Anck-Su-Namun shriek Imhotep's name. I look back towards the stairs where he storms over to Jonathan, gripping him by the neck. I run over to the both of them and swing my sword, cutting off Imhotep's arm and seeing the decayed corpse underneath the flesh.

 

  He turns to me and growls, "Get the book to Evy, Jonathan." I say calmly, he nods frantically as Imhotep grabs me by my shirt front and throws me against a nearby wall. I shout in pain, slowly getting up. 

 

  "Lyra, what are you doing?!" Rick shouts, storming over to me. I raise my hand, and he stumbles back. He raises his hand as if there's an invisible wall, "Lyra no!" 

 

  "I'm gonna be fine, just help them." I assure him, he frowns but does what I say.

 

  Imhotep picks me up, "Keep him busy!" Evelyn shouts, Imhotep throws me against a pillar.

 

  "No...Problem!" I cough, spitting up a mouthful of blood. Then he picks me up and throws me again, I grunt and drop my sword, the pain barely noticeable anymore. Imhotep picks me up, clasping his grip on my neck and holding me up in the air.

 

  I gasp for air,  _ **"Now it's your turn."**_ Imhotep growls, ready to snap my neck in two.

 

  "Oh, I've got it! Kadeesh mal Kadeesh mal! Pared oos Pared oos!" Evelyn chants, I watch black dots pepper my vision, but feel myself being thrown to the ground. I gasp and cough, taking air into my lungs. I scoot back frantically, as a blue ghostly chariot tramples down the steps and rams right through Imhotep with blinding blue light. Then it hurries back the stairs with a ghost copy of Imhotep as he chases the chariot up the stairs, but it's too late as it disappears into a vortex. I stand, weakly grabbing my sword and shielding Jonathan, Rick, and Evelyn from Imhotep, who is storming over to us.

 

  "I thought you said it was gonna kill him!" Rick snaps, I smirk.

 

  "No... she just used the right inscription." I say, Imhotep growls and nearly lunges at me, only for me to pierce him through his stomach. All of the weight and pain disappears,  _ **"That's for Morgana."**_ I say as he looks down at his blood covered hands, I twist the sword,  _ **"And that's for all the people you killed."**_ I growl, pulling out my now blood covered sword. He groans in pain, holding the gushing wound with both hands and stepping back. He walks backwards into the pool of souls, slowly, he sinks. We watch as his body quickly decays, the many faces multiplying on all sides of him.

 

   _ **"Death is only the beginning."**_ He warns, his voice becoming distorted. Finally, he sinks deep into the bottom.

 

  "Death... is only the beginning." Evelyn translates, I hiss in pain as I wipe the blood off my sword with a cloth. Then put it away, holding my side that was dripping blood. 

 

 

 


	14. The Happiest of Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (No need for a chapter summary) But seriously guys, thank you for reading I really appreciate it. I'm gonna be starting the rough draft of the second book over the summer before I can get a computer. Can't really update on archive of our own on my tablet. So I'm just gonna wait it out until I finally get one ^.^
> 
> Again, thank you so much and stay cool!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arabic= Bold and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Egyptian= Bold and Italics and "double quotations on each side"  
> Thoughts for Lyra or any other character= Italics and 'one quotation on each side'  
> Morgana in thought form= Bold and Italics and 'one quotation on each side.'

Chapter 14: The Happiest of Endings

 

  "When are you gonna learn that being tough isn't going to get you anywhere?" Jonathan lectures, I smirk.

 

  "When I'm dead." I joke, Rick snickers while Jonathan gapes and Evelyn rolls her eyes. Evelyn hands me my cloak, I smile and take it, putting it on. "Thanks, Evy." 

 

  "Can you stand?" Rick asks, I nod. That's when the whole room begins to shake, the roof starting to slowly sink down. "Time to go!" Rick says, grabbing Evelyn's hand and taking off running. Jonathan and I catch up with them, running up the stairs. 

 

  "OOF!" Jonathan grunts, I look behind me, seeing that he's flat on his stomach, he immediately gets up from the edge of the nearby black pool. 

 

  Evelyn runs back to the edge of it, "You've lost the book?! Jonathan I can't believe-" I cut her off and grab her arm and nearly drag her up the stairs. Rick takes Evelyn's hand as we run through the sand spilling halls. We make our way to the treasure chamber, Jonathan stops and looks around.

 

  "But could we just-" He asks, I roll my eyes and grab him.

 

  "No, Jonathan." I say, we hurry up the stairs and slide through a closing walkway. 

 

  Rick and I hear our last names being called and we look back, it was Beni. Rick goes back, I roll my eyes and catch up with Evelyn and Jonathan. Rick comes back a few seconds later, he shrugs and we keep running out the corridors and to the entrance. Pillars begin to collapse as soon as we're out, we continue to run for the exit. The ground sinks behind us, even the camels run out of the city. We watch a few feet away, the city collapses and caves in on itself, leaving nothing but a big cloud of sand in the sky.

 

  Jonathan shouts in surprise, making us turn around and look up. It was Ardeth, I smile, "Ah, thank you! Thank you very much!" Jonathan snaps, holding his shoulder.

 

  "You have earned the respect, and gratitude of me and my people." Ardeth says in thanks.

 

  "Yes well... it was nothing." Jonathan says, I roll my eyes.

 

  "May Allah smile upon you always." Ardeth says, then kisses the side of his first finger and rests it on his forehead, setting his hand down.

 

  I smile, "And... yourself." Jonathan says awkwardly, I roll my eyes a second time.

 

   **'Are you coming?'** Ardeth asks, I smirk.

 

  "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." I answer in English, he chuckles and rides the camel away.

 

  "Yes, anytime." Jonathan calls.

 

  "Stay out of trouble." Rick calls, I turn to look at Rick, who currently has his arm resting on Evelyn's shoulders.

 

  "You're leaving, Lyra?" Evelyn asks, I smirk.

 

  "Yeah, unfortunately. I have a lot of questions to answer, training to catch up on, and some healing to do." I say, scratching the back of my neck, "Don't worry, though. I'll write every chance I get." I mount a camel.

 

  "You gonna be ok? I mean, you took one hell of a beating." Rick asks, I smile.

 

  "I'll live, I've been tortured for over 10 years and I've made it this far. I'm not going to let that stop me from helping others, it's in my nature." I assure him, he smiles. I look at Jonathan, "Jonathan?" I ask, he looks up, "Try to stay out trouble, Because I give Rick permission to hit you." Jonathan glares at me while Rick snickers, I look at Evelyn, "And invite me to the wedding alright?" I tease, Rick stops smiling and glares at me while Evelyn turns cherry red. I smile and nudge the camel along, I quickly catch up with Ardeth. "I sensed your worry." I say, breaking the silence.

 

  "I still am. Is the curse broken?" He asks, I nod. His jaw relaxes, "Wonderful." I smile.

 

  "I'm in a lot of pain though, seemed like he really hated me." I admit, he frowns and looks at me.

 

  "Looks like you have more training to do." He says, I smirk. 

 

  "I'm all for it." I say, he smiles and we continue to ride back to the village, our home.

 

                                                                                                                    ~~~

 

**~3 Years Later~**

 

   I was blindfolded, my sword set on my lap as I'm on my knees, listening. "Use your hearing, Lyra. Trust your senses. Figure out your enemy's movements without your sight." I take a deep breath, a gust of wind rushes my right side and I block on my left, our swords clash. "Good, you're getting better. Now stand." I stand, twisting my ring on my left hand. "Fidgeting shows weakness." Another gust of wind, I block and swords clash once more, "Impressive." I remove my blindfold, blinking my eyes a few times before looking forward. Ardeth was flustered, since we had been training for a few hours with little breaks in between. No robes covering his torso, I avoid to gaze for too long. He smiles, "I'm very impressed."

 

  "I'm impressed with the lovely sight of you, Ardeth." I look down at the ring on my finger.

 

  "Still getting used to it?" he asks, I nod. "So am I." I smirk. Ardeth and I were bound together two years ago, and even though it has been good so far, there was only one problem, telling my brother Rick. "Still haven't told him?" he asks, putting his top robes on and tying them with a sash. 

 

  "I will... eventually. I mean, Evelyn knows. And they're getting married pretty soon as well." I answer, tying my belt around my waist and putting the sword away into the sheath, then grabbing my two long barreled pistols,  _Jackal_ and  _Hyde_. One was silver, one was black and custom made with both of the names engraved. "She invited us to the wedding." I add, he chuckles.

 

  "I'm sure it'll all work out, we have nothing to really worry about." he assures me, wrapping his arm around me, he presses his lips against my own, quickly turning into a heated kiss of passion, we both pull away, "We should head back." he says, his voice level dropping. I nod frantically and we mount our horses and ride back to our village.

 

**_ THE UNFORGIVEN: BOOK TWO (COMING THIS FALL) _ **

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a work of Fiction. I do not own any of the characters besides my own in this story. The characters used belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios)


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